Ironwood Gardens Red Fife Wheat Bread

Oh, yum.  This is far and away my most successful bread making experience.  I used Red Fife wheat flour from Ironwood Gardens in Gananoque.  The bran in this flour gives the bread a very rustic look and texture.  Try it, you'll love it!  Find Chris and Mary at the Gananoque Farmer's Market at the Town Park on Saturdays (8am - 1pm).

Ingredients:

2C warm water

2 tbsp active dry yeast

1/2C unrefined sugar (can replace maple syrup, plain white sugar or sucanat)

1/4C extra virgin olive oil

1 tbsp ground sea salt

3C red fife wheat flour and 3C unbleached, all-purpose flour, sifted together

Dissolve yeast in warm water.  The water should feel hot to touch, but not so hot that it kills the yeast.  Do not exceed 110 degrees F.  With your stand mixer and using a dough hook on low, add sugar, oil and salt.  Add flour to liquid 1 cup at a time, stirring between each addition.

When dough begins to form a ball, turn it onto a floured surface.  If dough is manageable before you have used all the flour, turn it out and knead in flour bit by bit until the dough is no longer sticky.  Knead, turn and fold for 5 - 8 minutes.  Place dough in an oiled bowl, turning until all sides are coated.  Cover and let rise until dough doubles in size - about 1 hour.  At this point, preheat oven to 350 F, prepare 2 bread pans with non-hydrogenated vegan margarine (I use Earth Balance) and set aside.  Punch down the dough and shape into 2 loaves.  Place in pans, cover and let rise another 30 minutes.  Bake for 45 minutes to an hour.  To check a loaf, tap on the bottom crust.  If it sounds hollow and hard, it is done.  If not, return to oven for a few more minutes.  Cool loaves completely on a wire rack before slicing, and store in plastic bags.