High Fiber Bread

I had finished a book and hit a snag with a knitting project, so what to do on a day when your pretty well snowed in?! Oh, I know, there is always a deep cleaning project I could do but I wasn’t in the mood. Then I thought about a bread cookbook my Mother had given me several years ago, written by Linda Hinrichsen Kastner. Linda now lives in California, but went to school at Elmore. She was a friend that I have lost track of over the years. I enjoyed reading her cookbook on how to bake bread along with several recipes. I decided it was time I try one. I am so glad I did! It is the best whole wheat bread I’ve tasted.  It makes 3 loaves, so you can eat one, freeze one and have one to share with a friend!
 
High Fiber Bread:
2 cups scalded milk
1 cup warm water
2 pkgs. dry yeast, dissolved in 1/2 cup warm water and 1 tsp sugar. Let set until foams
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup molasses
1/4 cup oil
2 tsp salt
3 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup rye flour
1 cup flax meal or wheat germ (I used flax meal)
1 cup yellow corn meal
2-3 cups white bread flour
 
Scald milk, then put in a large bowl, add cold water to the hot milk to cool it. Add dissolved yeast mixture. Stir in the honey, molasses, oil and salt, then the flours, whole wheat, rye, flax meal, corn meal, stir well. Add white bread flour until you can knead.( I used 2 1/2 cups and kneaded in the last 1/2 cup) Turn out on a floured counter, let rest 10 minutes and then knead 10 minutes. The longer the better. (I set a timer.) Place in a greased bowl and cover. Let rise until double, punch down and let raise again. Shape into 3 loaves, place in greased bread pans 8” in length x 3 inches deep. Let rise only to the top of the pans. Bake at 375 degrees for 30- 35 minutes. Remove from pans, brushing tops with butter. Cool completely.  Great toasted.  Stay safe and warm and have a great week!