Mrs. elizabeth ovenstad's bread

6 servings

Ingredients

Quantity Ingredient
2 cups Boiling water
½ cup Whole-wheat kernels, or wheat berries
½ cup Warm water
1 tablespoon Sugar
2 packs Active dry yeast
⅓ cup Rye flour
⅓ cup Whole-meal, whole-wheat flour
6 To 7 cups white flour
1 tablespoon Salt
1 cup Of warm milk
1 cup Of warm water
INSTRUCTIONS
Pour:
2 cups Boiling water
Over:
½ cup Whole-wheat kernels, or wheat berries,
(available in health food stores)
Allow to stand for an hour or two to soften the berries.
Proof the yeast as follows:
½ cup Warm water
1 tablespoon Sugar
2 packs Active dry yeast
While the yeast is proofing, combine in a bowl:
⅓ cup Rye flour
⅓ cup Whole-meal, whole-wheat flour
3 cups White flour
Drained wheat kernals
1 tablespoon Salt
Add:
Proofed yeast mixture from above
1 cup Warm milk
1 cup Warm water
(Note that you may use the water that was used to soak the
Wheat berries.)
Knead well, adding additional:
White flour

Directions

Another recipe from James Beard's book, "Beard On Bread". About this bread James Beard says, "I learned to make this bread in Norway, at Mrs Ovenstad's farm near Oslo. She bakes it twice a week, and though she resorts to heating the dough over steam for the second rising, it comes out beautifully. She is also a deft pastry cook and gardner, and loves to eat. (2 large Loaves)" about ½ cup at a time. You may need to add 3 more cups, give or take a bit.

Form into a ball, place into a greased bowl, turn and cover. Allow to rise until doubled in bulk, probably about 1 hour.

Punch down and knead 10 minutes, then cut into two equal pieces, form loaves, and allow to rise again.

You may elect to allow the bread to rise a second time in the bowl.

If so, James Beard feels that the bread may need some help in the second rising, in the form of a bit of heat. I am not so sure, as this was a very willing bread dough. Then again, I almost always rise my bread in a Microwave oven anyway.

As to baking, this bread requires about 1 hour in a 400ø F. oven.

This bread should have a good crunchy crust.

I have made this loaf without the wheat berries, as the crust and bread is delightful without the berries, and some members of the family refer to soft berries as "erasers" and hard berries as "rocks" ~ refusing to eat bread with either. However, with a bit of practice, you will be able to use the wheat berries at the right point so they will be neither "rocks" or "erasers".

Posted originally by Mike Avery

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