Sunflower Bread

Total Time: 2 hrs 45 mins Preparation Time: 2 hrs Cook Time: 45 mins

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup raw unsalted sunflower seeds
• 5 cups unbleached bread flour
• 1/4 cup bulgar wheat, coarsely ground,soaked in (grain-of-sand-size)
• 1/4 cup water, for 10 minutes
• 1/2 cup barley
• 2 cups water, at 120 or 125 degrees fahrenheit
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 3 tablespoons shortening
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1/8 teaspoon turmeric
• 1/8 teaspoon paprika
• 1 package dry yeast

Recipe

• 1 mix 1/8 cup of water with the bulgar wheat in a cup.
• 2 as long as it soaks for maybe 5 minutes before you add it to the mix, it won't be crunchy in the final product.
• 3 mix 2 cups flour, and all the rest of the dry ingredients including the yeast.
• 4 then mix in the shortening, honey, bulgar wheat, and water until a batter is formed.
• 5 mix in the rest of the flour, 1 cup at a time.
• 6 it should form a ball and be only slightly tacky.
• 7 knead for 10 minutes or until it feels right.
• 8 form a ball, place into a buttered bowl, roll around in the bowl until coated with the butter (actually i spray pam in), cover, and let rise until doubled in size.
• 9 punch down, and depending on the size of the loaf pans, form into 2 large or 3 smaller loaves.
• 10 let rise uncovered until doubled in size again.
• 11 bake at 300 degrees fahrenheit for 45 minutes until it sounds hollow when tapped.
• 12 a wonderful variation is to add 1/2 cup of pumpkin seeds in addition to the sunflower seeds.
• 13 it changes the character of the bread, but it tastes great, too.
• 14 be careful about the 125 degree water.
• 15 i heat it to that temperature because i have mixed all the dry ingredients first, insulating the yeast from the hot water.
• 16 if you're worried about it, use slightly cooler water.