Yeast Breads: Three Grain Bread

If 're looking for a hearty bread that is great for sandwiches, Three Grain Bread may be for you. If you want to enhance it a little more, try adding some raisins. The raisin version is great when toasted.


Ingredients


2 cups all purpose flour
½ cup whole wheat flour
½ cup dark rye flour
1 tsp salt
1½ tsp bread machine or quick yeast
1 cup milk
¼ cup honey
1 tbsp butter or margarine
1 tbsp molasses
¼ cup sunflower seeds, shelled
⅛ cup wheat germ
⅛ cup wheat bran


Preparation


You won't need to dissolve yeast with this recipe, so throw all ingredients into a large bowl and blend until you have a loose dough. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead for 5 to 10 minutes, until the dough is soft and elastic.


Place dough in an oiled bowl and cover. Let rise in a warm location until doubled in size. Hearty breads can take a little longer to rise, so plan on 90 minutes, though it will probably take a little less. When the dough has doubled, punch it down to remove all air bubbles. Shape into an oblong loaf and place on a prepared baking pan. Cover and allow to rise once more, again until doubled in size. Give the loaf a full hour for this second rise.


Heat oven to 375°F. Uncover dough and use your bread lame or a sharp knife to cut horizontal gashes in the loaf. These gashes shouldn't be deeper than ¼-inch. You can, if you wish, brush the loaf with an egg wash, though this is unnecessary.


Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the loaf is well browned and it sounds hollow when tapped. Allow to cool 20 minutes before slicing.