6 c Whole Wheat Bread Flour 3 tb Honey
1 tb Salt 4 lg Eggs, plus water to make
2 ts Dry Yeast (1/4 oz) 2 3/4 cups
1/2 c Water, warm 1 lg Egg, for glazing
1/4 c Canola oil
: Stir the flour and salt together in a bowl and make a well in
the center.
: Dissolve the yeast in the warm water and set aside to proof
while you mix the other liquids.
: Break the 4 eggs into a measuring cup and add enough water to
make 2 3/4 cups of liquid. Add the oil and honey and beat until
smooth. Add this mixture and the yeast mixture to the well in the
flour and stir together.
: Knead the dough until it is silky and supple. The dough
should be soft, but nor flabby. For the very best and highest bread,
an efficient kneader will require about 20 minutes to develop the
dough to its springiest.
: Form the dough into a ball and place it smooth side up in a
bowl; cover and keep in a warm, draft-free place. After about an hour
and a half, gently poke the center of the dough about 1/2 inch deep
with your finger. If the hole doesn’t fill in at all, it is ready for
the next step.
: Press flat, form into a smooth round, and let the dough rise
once more as before. The second rising will take half as much time as
the first.
: Keep your eye on the dough, and don’t let it go so long that
it sighs when you poke it. Egg-rich doughs like this benefit from a
slightly shorter rising time.
: After the second rise is done, shape your dough into 3 loaves
and place in your prepared pans. Allow them to rise again until
almost doubled in size. Brush the loaves with an egg wash made of one
egg plus 2 tablespoons of water. Cover the whole exposed surface
carefully, but don’t let the egg wash collect in the valleys. Now is
the time to sprinkle the loaves with sesame or poppy seeds if you
like.
: Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for about 45 minutes.
Brush the baked loaves with melted margarine or butter while still in
pans and allow to cool in pans for 3-5 minutes. Then cool on racks.
Yields
3 loaves