Molasses Seed Bread

My friend made something close to this bread sometime recently. I believe the recipe was from a bread machine handbook or something like that. She gave me the ingredients, told me she loved the bread, and she assumed I would know what to do from there. I did, for the most part. I don’t know anything about bread machines, but this recipe had an egg white in it, and no water. I didn’t know what the egg white was bringing to the party so I ditched it, and used a cup of water. Also, the original ingredients included cumin seeds, which I’m currently not in possession of, so I substituted some caraway seed. Yep, I know, crazy. The result was this very flavorful tasty bread that I am now hoarding and refusing to share with Brent.

• 1 cup warm water
• 1.5 teaspoons active dry yeast
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 tablespoons canola oil
• 1.5 tablespoons molasses
• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1.5-2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons sunflower seeds
• 1.5-2 tablespoons sesame seeds
• 1 tablespoon caraway seed

1. Dissolve yeast and sugar in warm water. Let sit until frothy ~10 minutes.
2. Add oil, molasses, and whole wheat flour and mix until full incorporated.
3. Slowly add all-purpose flour, 1/2 cup at a time, and salt. I used about 1.75 cups of the AP flour.
4. Add in seeds.
5. Knead in a mixer ~10 minutes, or longer if you’re kneading by hand.
6. Place into a greased bowl and let rise until double ~1.5 hours.
7. Deflate the dough and let rise again until double ~50 minutes.
8. Deflate dough and flatten with a rolling pin into a long rectangle ~8 inches wide. Slowly roll the dough into an 8″ wide log, squeezing out all the excess air as you go.
9. Pinch seams together and place seam side down into a loaf pan.
10. Let rise ~30 minutes in loaf pan and preheat oven to 350.
11. Bake ~35-40 minutes in the oven.
12. Enjoy!

I love this bread. It’s nutty, but faintly sweet and tastes so great warm out of the oven. Makes good toast too! So I greatly thank Tessa for the recommendation. HOWEVER, I could not find shelled sunflower seeds anywhere at the grocery store, and I was informed that even if I could have, they are apparently sold in a big bag that is very expensive. So I bough a bag in the check out lane that cost 99 cents, and forced my husband to join me in a “fun” shelling session. This is no one’s idea of a good time. I can promise that if you are able to procure shelled seeds or find a person who will not hate you for making them help shell them, this bread is totally worth it.

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