Amy's Bread

This is my recipe. That I made. In some ways it's not as healthy as the previous bread recipe (The Best Whole Wheat Bread; not named by me) and it is certainly more labor intensive but it remains to this day the best bread I've ever eaten. I like it with butter. It makes great whole wheat sandwich bread and is a nice companion to many main dishes.

Makes 4 loaves, serves 2

On stove top in med. sauce pan, over med-low heat, combine:
4 c. water
1/3 c. steel cut oats (not to be confused with oat groats, flaked, or rolled oats)

2/3 c. packed dark brown sugar
3 Tbsp. butter
3 Tbsp. shortening
1 Tbsp. salt

Stir periodically and remove from heat when butter is almost completely melted. Meanwhile, in mixer bowl combine:

2 c. white bread flour (I prefer and highly recommend King Arthur brand)

5 c. fresh ground wheat flour
3 Tbsp. yeast
3 Tbsp. vital wheat gluten
3 Tbsp. ground flax meal
1/2 c. roasted sunflower seeds

Mix it up a bit and then add the liquid stuff, scraping it in with a spatula. Mix on low for about 30 seconds.

Then add: 2 c. white bread flour

Mix to knead dough for several minutes and prepare a large bowl by spraying throughout with cooking spray. When dough is done dump it into the bowl and turn once to oil on all sides. Allow the dough to rise in a warm place until double in size, about 30-40 min. I use the sun in the summer and a warm oven with a cup of hot water at the bottom the rest of the year. Just be sure and remove the water before baking.

When the dough is done rising, punch it down and allow it to rest for 5-10 min. Now, prepare your bread pans. For this recipe, I use glass pans and grease them with shortening applied with a pastry brush.

Working one loaf at a time, push, stretch, poke and pat the dough into a somewhat level, even rectangle about the width of your bread pan and as long as it wants to be. Then, roll it up to form a loaf. Tuck the sides under and pinch the seam across the bottom. To finish the loaf, use a wet paper towel to moisten the top and roll the top of the loaf in a plate of rolled oats (not to be mistaken with steel cut oats).

Place loaves in pans to rise in a warm place, covered, for a while. If they are about 1" over the brim in the center that's good. Stick them in the oven and turn the oven on to 375F. You might try 350F if your oven doesn't run on the low side like mine. Bake for 35 min. and check to make sure it's cooked. It should be browned on top, not gummy on the sides, and sound hollow when tapped on top. Remove from pans and cool completely before wrapping.