CRACKED WHEAT BREAD

CRACKED WHEAT ROLLS

2          tablespoons yeast
1          cup warm water  (110 degrees)
1          tablespoon turbinado or brown sugar
1          cup Bob’s Cracked Wheat Cereal
3          cups water
1/2       cup plain cooking oil (canola, corn, etc.) or butter
2 1/2    tablespoons salt
1/2       cup turbinado or brown sugar, or honey
2          tablespoons malted barley flour
2          cups milk
2          cups whole wheat flour
2          cups gluten flour
5-6       cups white flour
1          egg white mixed with one tablespoon water

Mix the yeast, water and sugar in a large measuring cup and allow yeast to foam (proof). Bring the 3 cups water to a boil, add the cracked wheat, and simmer 10 minutes, stirring often. Put the cooked cereal into a large mixing bowl, add oil or butter, and sugar or honey, malted barley flour, salt and stir until thoroughly mixed.  

Add milk, whole wheat flour, gluten flour and stir. Add the yeast mixture. Then add 3 cups of the white flour and stir some more.  

Spread a cup of white flour on your work table and turn out the dough. Begin kneading the dough using the Rhythm Method (push fold turn) and add up to 2 more cups of flour. Knead for at least 10 minutes until the dough is silky and resilient and reaches the Baby’s Bottom Stage.

Wash your bowl, grease it, and put the dough back in it. Cover with a damp towel and let rise until double or triple in bulk—2 to 4 hours.

Punch down the dough. Sprinkle some flour on your work surface and turn the dough out of the bowl.  You should have about 7 pounds of dough. Divide the dough into 4 parts and form loaves, fitting them into greased bread pans. (This dough produces great rolls, so you may want to form 3 loaves and make the rest of the dough into rolls.) Cover with a damp towel, and allow to double in bulk, about 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
 
Using a pastry brush, brush the loaves with the egg white mixture. Place loaves in the oven. Bake 35 to 45 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of the loaves should read 200 degrees. Tip the loaves out of the pans onto a cake rack and allow to cool for 15 minutes before slicing.