Country Seed Bread

2 cups (approx) all-purpose flour 

1 cup whole wheat flour 
¼ cup flax seeds 
2 tbsp sesame seeds
1 tbsp poppy seeds
2 tsp quick-rising instant dry yeast 10
1and 1/4 cups water 
2 tbsp liquid honey
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 ½ tsp salt 

... ordinary white bread ...

1. In large bowl, stir together all-purpose and whole wheat flours, flax, sesame and poppy seeds and yeast. In small bowl, whisk together water, honey, oil and salt; stir into flour mixture until sticky dough forms.

2. Turn out dough 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 ¼ cup 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 until doubled in bulk, about 1 ¼ hours.

3. Punch down dough; turn out onto lightly floured surface. Gently pull dough into 11 x 8 inch (28 x 20 cm) rectangle. Starting at one narrow end, roll up into cylinder; pinch along bottom to smooth and seal. Fit into greased 8 x 4 inch loaf pan. Cover and let rise until doubled in bulk and about ¾ inch above rim of pan, about 1 hour.

4. Brush top of loaf with water. With serrated knife, make one 1-inch deep cut lengthwise along top of loaf. Bake in center of 400 degree F oven for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees F; bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until browned and loaf sounds hollow when tapped on bottom. Remove from pan; let cool on rack. Makes 1 loaf, 12 slices

... look of dough after beating for 8 minutes ...
still a very soft dough

My Notes: 
I always triple this batch and get 3 very large loaves. I don’t make the serrated cut down the loaf – it always just looks like the loaf has fallen to me. I don’t like that look. I have pencilled in on my recipe, the tripled ingredients so I don’t have to think that out every time. Although I call the Multi-Seed Bread my all-time favorite recipe, I think most people would say this is a better bread. Not as dense. The multi-seed bread takes more chewing. This one is more like cake. The seeds give a fantastic aroma. And the bread is so delicious to eat. 

Have I mentioned that I always take margarine and rub it over the outside of bread when it comes out of the pan. It softens the crust and makes it easier to cut – not so many crumbs on the kitchen floor, especially if you let all the kids cut the bread themselves, which I do. 

... sesame seeds, flax and poppy seeds ...
essential ingredients for Country Seed Bread

I don’t cook any loaves of bread for 45 minutes as this recipe suggests. In my oven the large loaves are done in 37 minutes at a temperature of 350 degrees Farenheight – and 33 minutes for smaller loaves. Experiment and see how dry you want your loaves to be. 

This recipe is from page 22 of Canadian Living’s Best Breads & Pizzas. My colleague at the library, Dani Pahulje, tried the recipe and passed it on to me. 

If  you would like a word copy of this recipe, email me at ajohnson@ucalgary.ca and I will send you one.

For Catherine, I am typing in the LARGE BREAD MACHINE METHOD

• Into pan of 1 ½ to 2 lb machine, add (in order) water, honey, oil, salt, all-purpose and whole what flours, flax seeds, sesame seeds, poppy seeds and yeast.  (Do not let yeast touch liquid.) Choose appropriate setting (whole wheat, powdered milk).  Let baked loaf cool on rack.  Makes 1 loaf which is not enough.

Arta