Wild Rice Bread

 

Even when I don't seem to have time to really cook anything amazing, there always seems to be enough time to bake. Baking is therapeutic to me and I can do it without even thinking about it anymore. It just seems to fit in to your schedule if you allow it to.

For example, I really needed to get this bread made today but had a million other things to do as well. So I get the dough going and then I clean up the kitchen and clean the house during the first rise. Form it in to loaves and then mow the front lawn while it raises. Run inside, throw it in the oven and then finish the back lawn. Take it out of the oven, place it on the racks and let it cool while we run out to the store to finish our kitchen remodel plans.

So in the end, it really only took about 15 minutes of extra time and now I've got two beautiful loaves of bread with a new recipe that I hadn't tried before! When I first saw this recipe from Red Star yeast, I knew I wanted to try it but it got pushed out a ways and I am just now getting around to trying it. I love the addition of the wild rice in the dough. It adds so much substance that you can toast this up, put a nice poached or over easy egg on it and you've got a whole meal. The wild rice gives it a nice nutty flavor and the brown sugar and molasses are a nice sweetener that adds some additional depth. Give it a try and let me know what you think.

Wild Rice Bread
Recipe from Red Star Yeast

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups milk
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup honey
2 tablespoons molasses
3 cups cooked wild rice
2 teaspoons salt
1/4 cup brown sugar
6 cups bread flour
4 1/2 teaspoons Active Dry Yeast

Directions

Combine yeast, 2 cups flour, and other dry ingredients. Combine liquids and heat to 120°-130°F.

Combine rice, dry mixture and liquid ingredients in mixing bowl with paddle or beaters for 4 minutes on medium speed. Gradually add remaining flour and knead with dough hook(s) 5 to 7 minutes until smooth and elastic.

 
Place dough in lightly oiled bowl and turn to grease top. Cover; let rise until dough tests ripe. Turn dough onto lightly floured surface; punch down to remove air bubbles. Divide in half. Roll or pat each half into a 14 x 7- inch rectangle. Starting with shorter side, roll up tightly, pressing dough into roll. Pinch edges and taper ends to seal. Place in greased 9 x 5-inch loaf pan. Cover; let rise until indentation remains after touching. Bake in preheated 375°F oven 30 to 40 minutes. Remove from pan; cool.