Almost Gwen's Harvest Bread

My friend Gwen Ericson brought me the most wonderful loaf of bread when I was recovering from surgery last year. She's such a generous lady that she happily gave me the recipe. I've modified the ingredients to reflect my pantry and changed her instructions a bit- I'm lazier than I ought to be and found I could throw everything together in my Kitchen Aid mixer with good results.   I also adjusted it to make just one very large loaf instead of the three or four her original recipe made. This is a lovely, light multi-grain loaf with a beautiful texture. I like it with sunflower seeds, but others here don't, so I leave them out. Adding a quarter cup of dried cranberries would be nice too. I haven't tried it "Regular", so if you try the "Regular Instructions" and find something in the method that needs to be changed, let me know!

3 cups white flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup ground flax seed
1 Tablespoon instant yeast
1 Tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 Tablespoons whole flax seed
2 Tablespoons oatmeal
2 Tablespoons Bob's Red Mill 10 Grain Cereal
2 Tablespoons toasted sunflower seeds (optional)
1 1/2 cups very warm water
1 large egg
1/4 cup lard (or 1/3 cup vegetable/Canola oil)
2 Tablespoons oil

*Kitchen Aid Instructions:

Put all ingredients except the last 2 Tablespoons of oil into largest mixer bowl. Mix on lowest speed with dough hook for about 10 minutes. Add more flour if necessary, 1 Tablespoon at a time, until dough no longer sticks to your fingers when you test it.

Take dough off dough hook, and form into a ball with your hand. Remove from bowl, (either hold in one hand or rest on clean breadboard) and add 2 Tablespoons of oil to bottom of bowl. Put dough in bowl, swishing it around to cover the bottom with oil, then flip the dough to cover the other side.

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and set in a warm place to rise until doubled in bulk, 1.5- 2 hours.

When bread dough has risen, remove it from the bowl and shape into loaf/loaves, and place in lightly greased bread pan(s). Set in warm place to rise again until bread is about doubled in size- 1-1.5 hours.

Preheat oven to 350*F, then bake the loaves for 30- 50 minutes until nicely golden.

Take the pans out of the oven, and carefully tip the bread out of the pans. Cool on baking racks.

Yield: 1 very large loaf, 2 small loaves, 1 good sized loaf + a couple of buns (hamburger/hot dog/ dinner roll shaped)

*Regular Instructions:

Measure water, salt, yeast, sugar, lard, egg and 2 cups of the flour into large mixing bowl. Using electric hand mixer/ beaters, beat batter together until lard and flour are incorporated, and mixture looks gelatinous, (kind of gooey/ glue-y) It will be very sticky.

Measure in 3rd cup of flour and the rest of the ingredients except the last 2 Tablespoons of oil.

Using a wooden spoon or your hands, mix dough together. As the ingredients are incorporated, the dough will get stiffer and you'll find it easier to just transfer it to a lightly floured board and mix with your hands.

When the dough starts to feel less sticky, and the flour is mixed in, begin to knead the dough, adding flour a Tablespoon at a time as needed to keep dough from sticking to your hands. As you knead it, the dough will get less sticky and the less flour you add, the lighter your bread will be.

To knead: Gather the dough into a ball. With the heel of your hands, push the dough away from you. Now with your fingers pull the dough back towards you into the ball. Repeat with pushing away and pulling it back 4 or 5 times. The dough should start to get longer, side to side. Rotate the dough, (1/4 turn), so it is long-wise to you; gather the longer end up into a ball with your fingers, then push it back out in the kneading motion as before. Continue kneading and turning the dough for at least 10 minutes. The longer you knead, the better your bread will be.

Put the 2 Tablespoons of oil in the bottom of the bowl. Put the dough in the bowl, swishing it around to cover the bottom with oil, then flip the dough to cover the other side.

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and set in a warm place to rise until doubled in bulk, 1.5- 2 hours.

When bread dough has risen, remove it from the bowl and shape into loaf/loaves, and place in lightly greased bread pan(s). Set in warm place to rise again until bread is about doubled in size- 1-1.5 hours.

Preheat oven to 350*F, then bake the loaves for 30- 50 minutes until nicely golden.

Take the pans out of the oven, and carefully tip the bread out of the pans. Cool on baking racks.

Yield: 1 large loaf, 2 small loaves, 1 good sized loaf + a couple of buns (hamburger/hot dog/ dinner roll shaped)