Recipe: Wholesome Multigrain Bread (using whole wheat flour and oats)

WHOLESOME MULTIGRAIN BREAD

1 1/2 cups lukewarm water
2 tablespoons honey
1 (2 1/4 teaspoons) envelope active dry yeast
About 3 1/2 cups whole-wheat flour, divided use
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon old-fashioned rolled oats, uncooked, divided use
2 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon olive oil, divided use
1/4 cup plus 1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds, divided use
1 teaspoon poppy seeds

Pour water into a large mixing bowl and stir in honey. Sprinkle yeast over water; let sit 2 minutes.

Add 2 1/2 cups whole-wheat flour and 1/2 cup oats. Stir vigorously with a wooden spoon for 50 strokes. Add salt, 2 tablespoons olive oil and 1/4 cup sesame seeds; stir for 50 more strokes. Cover bowl with a clean tea towel and let rest for 5 minutes.

Gradually start stirring in the remaining 1 cup whole-wheat flour. As the dough starts to stick together, begin scraping the spoon against the sides of the dough to work the flour into the dough. Once the dough is firm enough to knead, dust a clean counter top or table with whole-wheat flour and place the dough on the flour. Flour your hands; knead gently for 3 minutes, then cover the dough with the clean tea towel and let rest for 5 minutes.

Knead another 3 minutes, using more flour on the counter or table to keep the dough from sticking. Let rest 5 more minutes.

Knead one more time. Place the remaining 1 teaspoon olive oil in a large clean bowl. Place the dough in the bowl and rotate to coat the dough with oil. Cover the bowl with the tea towel and let rise until doubled in size. (A sunny window is a good place to rise bread dough.) Dough may take 3 hours to rise.

TO SHAPE:
Grease and flour a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan (or use a nonstick pan).

When dough has doubled, punch it down and knead for 1 minute. Shape the dough into a loaf; set aside (don't place in pan).

In a small bowl, mix together poppy seeds, remaining 1 tablespoon oats and remaining 1 teaspoon sesame seeds. Spread mixture on the counter in a rectangle roughly as long as the loaf and about 5 inches wide.

Lightly brush as much of the loaf as possible with water, then roll the dough in the seeds and oats so that they stick to the loaf.

Put the dough in the prepared pan, seam side down, and cover the pan with the tea towel. Let rise until loaf reaches about 3/4 inch above the edge of the pan, about 1 1/2 hours.

TO BAKE:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Bake for 40 minutes or until done.

Yield: 1 loaf; about 12 slices
Adapted from source: Feeding the Healthy Vegetarian Family by Ken Haedrich