Yummy bread!

I now make my own bread every week, and right now, this is the one recipe I have mastered! :) I really like it and it freezes well. Freezing it also stops my husband from eating the entire loaf in 48 hours. The recipe that follows is from my Canadian Living Cookbook, but it's also on the Canadian Living website. I have a loaf rising as I write.

Making bread doesn't really involve a lot of labour. I work at home, so it's easy for me to be around while the bread is doing its rising thing. I really enjoy making bread and find the kneading bit soothing. I have a breadmaker but I have never been able to get a satifactory loaf out of it.

I am still searching for a good whole wheat bread recipe. I am not a terribly skilled breadmaker, although I am improving, so the ones I have tried tend to come out as inedible bricks.

Canadian Living recipes are great and very foolproof. I think they have a very thorough test kitchen.

Enjoy!

http://www.canadianliving.com/CanadianLiving/client/en/Food/DetailRecipe.asp?idRe=2299


Country Seed Bread
General Category : Breads (Loaves, Buns, Rolls)
Food Group : Grains
Preparation Method : Bake
Other Criteria : CL Cooks
When bread machines first became popular a few years ago, The Canadian Living Test Kitchen got busy adapting recipes. Very easy to make in the machine – and almost as easy by hand – this loaf is nutty, chewy and just plain good.

Ingredients

• 2 cups (500 mL) All-purpose flour (approx)

• 1 cup (250 mL) Whole wheat flour

• 1/4 cup (50 mL) Flaxseeds

• 2 tbsp (25 mL) Sesame seeds

• 1 tbsp (15 mL) Poppy seeds

• 2 tsp (10 mL) Quick-rising (instant) dry yeast

• 1-1/4 cups (300 mL) very warm Water

• 2 tbsp (25 mL) Liquid honey

• 2 tbsp (25 mL) Vegetable oil

• 1-1/2 tsp (7 mL) Salt

Preparation
In large bowl, stir together all-purpose and whole wheat flours, flaxseeds, sesame seeds, poppy seeds and yeast. In small bowl, whisk water, honey, oil and salt; stir into flour mixture to make sticky dough.

Turn out onto lightly floured surface. Knead for about 8 minutes or until still slightly sticky and dough springs back when pressed in centre, adding up to 1/4 cup (50 mL) more all-purpose flour as necessary. Place in greased bowl, turning to grease all over. Cover with plastic wrap; let rise in warm draft-free place for about 1-1/4 hours or until doubled in bulk.

Punch down dough; turn out onto lightly floured surface. Gently pull into 11- x 8-inch (28 x 20 cm) rectangle. Starting at narrow end, roll up into cylinder; press seam to seal. Place, seam side down, in greased 8- x 4-inch (1.5 L) loaf pan. Cover with towel; let rise for about 1 hour or until doubled in bulk and about 3/4 inch (2 cm) above rim of pan.

Brush top with water. With serrated knife, make 1-inch (2.5 cm) deep cut lengthwise along top of loaf. Bake in centre of 400ºF (200ºC) oven for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 350ºF (180ºC); bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until browned and loaf sounds hollow when tapped on bottom. Remove from pan; let cool on rack.


More Information
Bread Machine Method:
Into pan of 1-1/2- to 2-lb (750 g to 1 kg) machine, add (in order) water, honey, oil, salt, all-purpose and whole wheat flours, flaxseeds, sesame seeds, poppy seeds and yeast. (Do not let yeast touch liquid.) Choose appropriate setting (whole wheat, powdered milk). Let loaf cool on rack.

Nutritional information
Per slice: about 172 cal, 5 g pro, 5 g total fat (trace sat. fat), 28 g carb, 3 g fibre, 0 mg chol, 292 mg sodium. % RDI: 3% calcium, 14% iron, 25% folate