Birdseed Bread....recipe

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BIRDSEED BREAD

This recipe can be doubled or tripled. Oven setting: 375 Yield: 3 LARGE heavy loaves.

4 c. warm water
2 pkgs or 2 Tblsp. yeast
1/2 c. brown sugar or molasses( I use molasses)
1/2 c honey
1/2c. oil ( I use olive or canola)
4 tsp. salt
About 12c. flour ( I use unbleached and whole wheat, wheat being about 3c.)
1/2 c. each,all of the following: wheat, cracked wheat, spelt, oats( whole or rolled),sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, barley, millet and/or any other grain you can think of.

Boil hard grains in more water than need until soft and chewy. DO NOT boil sesame or sunflower seeds.

When draining the cooked grain save the water and measure it toward the 4 c. water needed. Cool grain and water before adding the following:

Dissolve yeast in a small amount warm water with a small amount of sugar( 3 tsp.) Measure flour into large separate bowl molasses, honey, oil and salt. Add cooled water from boiled grains, the yeast mixture, sesame and sunflower seeds and cooked grains. Knead ( This is the fun part, it's really sticky so remove all jewlery and grease your hands. I do add about 1/2- 3/4 c. flour to board and dough to help)Texture should be smooth ans satiny with grains (about 8- 10 minutes). Place in a greased bowl( LG.) and cover with a damp cloth, let rise until double.

Preheat oven to 375 Punch down and let rise again. after second rise work down and divide into 3 loaves or loaves and rolls combination. Place in greased and floured pans, bake for 10 minutes at 375 then reduce oven to 350 and bake 30 minutes more or until chesnut brown and sound hollow when thumped. Turn out on to cooling racks, butter tops to keep moist and supple. Enjoy, this is a very hearty bread and stay moist a week, thats all the longer it lasts here!

You can freeze the dough just AFTER the FIRST rise, thaw and let rise then bake as directed above.



-- Marie (prettyhollow@yahoo.com), February 10, 2002

Answers

That looks like a great recipe, which do you like the best olive or canola. I made bread with olive oil and it raised a lot higher.

-- Cindy (SE. IN) (atilrthehony@hotmail.com), February 10, 2002.

I have used both, but, most of the time it is olive oil.

-- Marie (prettyhollow@yahoo.com), February 11, 2002.

Marie - Years ago I ate a bread, I think was called Mockingbird Seed bread. I remember it to be a lot like this one but had dried cherries and nuts in it. Do you think this could be the same or close enough to modify? Have you ever made it with dried fruit? And is it possible to make it in a bread machine? This was the perfect bread dry toasted with a cup of good tea for breakfast.

-- Jackie (HaloHead012@cs.com), May 13, 2002.

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