Medlin Homestead Bread
Ingredients
2 Cups of Warm Water
1 1/2 Tablespoons Yeast
Pinch of Sugar
5 1/2 Cups of Bread Flour
3 Cups of Whole Wheat Flour
1 Tablespoon Salt
4 Large Eggs
1/2 Cup Honey, Molasses, Sorghum, or Syrup
2/3 Cups of Oil (Olive, Vegetable, etc.)
Pour 1/2 cup of warm water in small bowl and add yeast and sugar - let set 10 minutes
Prepare in mixing bowl 1 1/2 cups of bread flour, salt, eggs, oil, remaining 1 1/2 cups of water and your choice of honey, molasses, sorghum, or syrup. Each of these will give your bread a slightly different taste and color. ex. Molasses gives you a more rustic tasting darker bread, while honey will give you a sweet light bread. Mix these ingredients with paddle.
Switch to dough hook and slowly add remaining flour about a cup at at time. The dough will begin to form and pull from the sides of the bowl. Once the bowl is free of dough on the side, allow the dough hook to knead the dough for about 4 minutes.
Gentle lift dough out of bowl and spray the bowl with non-stick spray. Drop your dough back in and spray top lightly. Cover with thin cloth and allow to rise for 2 to 2 1/2 hours in a warm place. Dough should double in size. Temperature and time of year will vary your rise time.
After dough has doubled, carefully punch down dough with your fist, cover and let rise for another 1 to 1 1/2 hours, again watching for it to double.
Turn the dough onto a lightly oiled surface. Use dough knife and divide into four equal parts. Theses will be your loafs. You may gently shape them how ever you wish. Once shaped gently drop loaf onto work surface to allow any air bubbles in the bread to escape.
Place in greased baking pans. Be sure to pinch and tuck the ends so the loaf will rise correctly. Beat one egg with tablespoon of water and brush on top of loaves. Allow them to rise for 45 minutes - about an inch over the pan.
About 20 minutes before baking turn oven on 350 and move rack to middle of oven. When rise if finished glaze again and sprinkle top if you desire with sesame seeds, poppy seeds, oat flakes, etc.
Bake for 40 to 45 minutes and immediately remove from pan and allow to cool on cooling racks. This is when I rub my crust down with butter. This is optional. Slicing is easiest with an electric knife. Bread can be frozen. Slice first for easy thawing and double wrap for air tight freezing. By making four loaves, I find you have a loaf to eat hot out of the oven with butter, a loaf for sandwiches early in the week, a loaf to freeze for later in the week, and a loaf for the neighbors.
Once you get the hang of it you can experiment with folding in lots of the goodies on the final rise, dry fruit and nuts, cinnamon and sugar, garlic and herbs. This recipe can also be used to make buns just shape and mold before the final rise.
