An East European-ish Favorite - Honey Oat Bread (as rolls)

You probably already figured out from the title that this is my take on a recipe that hails from Eastern Europe. I honestly don't remember this bread from the 'legendary Bernie's Bakery' from my childhood in Nova Scotia. But it could have been there, and I just didn't know it. Could be my family didn't buy this kind of bread. Whatever. This bread is super healthy and super easy. Just pay attention to the details, of course, and be patient. But that's good advice for just about anything.

Here's What You'll Need:

• 2 Tbs. dry yeast
• 1/2 cup warm water
• 1 1/2 cups milk, scalded
• 1/3 cup butter/margarine
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 cup molasses*
• 3 1/2 to 4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 2 cups quick cooking rolled oats
• a handful of various seeds (sunflower/pumpkin etc.) for added texture if desired

Here's What You'll Need to Do:

1) Make sure have all the ingredients ready before starting.
2) Place the yeast, water and milk in a large bowl, and mix thoroughly. Wait about 10 minutes, then add the butter/margarine, salt and molasses*.

3) Mix in 3 cups of the flour, the whole wheat flour and  the oats. Then gradually mix in the rest of the flour using only as much as needed to make a soft dough. If using, add the seeds now.

4) Remove the dough to a lightly floured surface and knead gently until the dough is smooth and elastic.

5) Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, turn to coat then cover to let it rise until doubled, about one and a half hours.

6) Deflate the dough. Divide it into two equal pieces then shape it into two loaves or rolls if you prefer. Place the shaped dough into two 9 X 5 loaf pans (23 X 13 cm), or place the rolls on a covered baking sheet, brush with melted butter and cover for the second rise. About 1 hour.

7) About 20 minutes before baking time, preheat the oven to 375 F (190 C). Bake for about 35 minutes (about 17 minutes for rolls) or until deep brown. Cool on a rack. For a softer crust, you can brush the hot loaves/rolls with melted butter when you remove them from the oven.

* Molasses makes the bread a little tangy and, of course, colors the dough dark brown. If you prefer you can use honey and the bread will be golden rather than dark brown.

Another European Classic - Pain aux Noix (French Nut Bread)

Sometimes you can just look at a bread, and know, before you even taste it, where it comes from. This is one of those breads. It is a dark brown in color, and with a soft, almost crumbly crumb. The crust is crunchy, and well...crusty. The best part of it is that the nuts of various kinds, chopped coarsely, are mixed into the dough and then baked together. Traditionally, this bread is made with hazelnuts, but truthfully, can be made with any kind, almonds, walnuts or even a mixture. If you want to give an American twist to a Eurpean bread, use pecans. Any way you slice it (pun intended) this bread won't disappoint. It fills the whole house with the most incredible aroma. And after it's baked, if you toast it, it does it again. This bread is also very versatile: the nuts make it perfect for a breakfast bread, but it works just great with smoked meats and mustard too. Please try this bread... you won't be disappointed. BTW, this recipe is adapted from one of my favorite bread baking books of all time, TheBread Bible by Beth Hensperger. A truly remarkable collection of bread recipes containing everything from traditional European breads like this one, to modern quick breads. It's all here and a book well worth adding to your collection.

Here's What You'll Need: (for 2 round loaves)

2 1/2 cups hazelnuts, roughly chopped skinned and lightly toasted (or other nuts)

2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

1 1/4 cups warm water

2 Tbs. dry yeast

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

1 cup warm milk (or water, or unflavored soy milk for non-dairy)

1/2 cup walnut oil (or hazelnut oil)

2 1/2 tsp. salt

about 3 cups AP flour

Here's What You'll Need To Do:

1. Combine about 1 1/4 cups of the nuts with about 1 cup of the whole wheat flour. Mix well to coat the nuts completely. Grind to a rough (not flour-like) consistency in a food processor and set aside.

2. Sprinkle the yeast over 1/4 cup the warm water with a pinch of brown sugar dissolved in. Let it stand for about 10 minutes to activate the yeast.

3. In a large bowl, combine the remaining water, the milk (or soy if using), oil, sugar and salt. Pulse to mix, then add the yeast mixture. Finally add in the nut and whole wheat mixture as well.

4. Add the remaining shole wheat flour and mix to form a soft fairly sticky dough. Then add in the AP flour, 1/2 cup at a time until the dough 'cleans the bowl' but remains soft and elastic. It will be just slightly tacky, and will not stick to your fingers.

5. Knead the dough for about 10 minutes to develop the gluten, then place it in a lightly-oiled bowl, turn to coat, and cover. The dough should rise until doubled, about 2 hours.

6. Divide the dough into 2 equal pieces and shape each piece into a round, tightening the surface as you shape it. Lightly spray some oil on the dough balls, and cover with plastic wrap to rest. This will take about 45 minutes.

7. About 20 minutes before baking time, pre-heat the oven to 375 F (190 C). Use a baking stone, if you have one. Just before baking slash the bread with 3 or 4 cuts about 1/4 inch (3mm) deep. Spray water into the oven and pour boiling water into a steaming pan to create a wet environment.

8. Bake for about 45 minutes or until it sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom. Cool on a rack.

New Business - Whole Wheat Sandwich Bread

First things first: this is my 100th post on breadmantalking!!! Thanks so much to all the readers and followers who have encouraged me along the way! I am having fun and I am glad you are all enjoying it too.



So, if you've been following my progress as a professional baker, you will know this... I am trying to establish a baking business that specializes in healthy bread. Hand-made and delivered to your home. Alongside workshops and private lessons in healthy baking. Slowly it is coming together and only last week I got a new customer with a standing order. Thirty sandwiches every Thursday morning to be delivered at 0745. This is on top of my standing orders for challah etc. for every Friday. And the workshops every Thursday evening. So, as I said, slowly it is really coming together, and the business is starting to take off!!! Which, of course, leads to this bread I baked today. Whole wheat healthy bread for sandwiches. Last week I brought sandwiches that were on rolls. Of course, there were complaints like, "Why rolls, aren't sandwiches on sliced bread lower in calories?" (The answer is not really: the shape of the bread does not determine calorie count.) Still, I am having fun and this bread is, therefore, an experiment. An attempt at a new sandwich bread for my Thursday morning client. I think it came out great. The crumb is not too close and strong enough to hold the fillings without falling to pieces, or turning into mush, the crust is strong but not too crunchy. The taste is wonderful. Try it and you be the judge.

Here's What You'll Need:

1 cup AP flour
about 2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 egg
1 tsp. salt
 1 Tbs. butter, melted
1 Tbs. sugar
1 cup warm water
 1 Tbs. instant dry yeast
some sesame seeds (about 2 Tbs.) and wheat germ (about 2 Tbs.)

Here's What You'll Need to do:

1. Dissolve the sugar in the water, then stir in the yeast. Let it stand for about 10 minutes until the mixture becomes foamy and smells 'yeasty'.

2. Lightly beat the egg, mix in the melted butter, then pour this mixture into the yeast mixture and mix thoroughly.

3. Add the whole wheat flour one cup at a time, mixing to stiffen. Finally, add the AP flour, mixing until you can no longer stir. Knead this dough until it becomes soft and slightly sticky.

4. Knead the dough for about 7-10 minutes until the dough is very smooth. Place this in a lightly oiled bowl, turn to coat. Cover the bowl and place it in a warm place to rise until roughly doubled in volume. This will take about one and a half hours.

5. Remove the dough and shape into a loaf form, by dividing the dough into three pieces and braiding them. If you want to make the bread even healthier, try spraying it lightly with water, then roll the pieces in the sesame seeds and wheat germ.  Place the dough into a greased loaf pan then cover to let it rise until just over the lip of the pan, about 45 minutes.

Here it is, in the pan:

6. Preheat the oven to 350 F (180 C). Bake the bread, turning halfway through to get an even color, for about 25 minutes in a convention oven, or about 35 minutes in a conventional oven. Cool completely on a rack before slicing.

7. Bon Appetit!

Bread for Autumn - Whole Wheat Spelt Bread

I am sitting in my kitchen waiting (impatiently, I might add) for this new bread to cool. In the end I will probably eat a piece while still warm. Even though the instructions clearly say, 'Cool completely before slicing'. Completely. On a cooling rack. This bread smells sooo good. And it is bread for the Fall of the year. Last week we had rain, for the first time since last April, and, frankly, even this rain was a bit of a surprise. Honestly, I wasn't expecting any rain until maybe the end of October, or even the beginning of November. But the leaves are turning color a little, and the flowers are starting to fade. And the evenings are cooler. And so, harvest bread filled with goodies.

Whole wheat spelt bread uses spelt flour (go figure) that you can substitute with whole wheat flour if you wish. Spelt is an ancient grain: it is the oldest form of wheat. As such it acts much like wheat in a recipe. However, I believe it has less gluten than regular wheat flour. It is richer in B-vitamins and is even tastier to boot. Because of the lower gluten content, use a little more leavening agent (this bread uses baking soda). If using yeast with this flour, use a little more and let it rise longer. You won't be sorry.

Here's What You'll Need: (for 2 small 8 1/2 X 4 1/2 in (23X10 cm) loaves)
1 1/2 cups lightly toasted walnuts (or other nuts you may prefer)
about 5 1/2 cups spelt flour (or half whole wheat and half regular bread flour )
2 tsp. salt
1 3/4 tsp. baking soda
3 1/2 Tbs. molasses or honey
about 3 1/2 cups warm water (enough to make a thick batter)
2 Tbs. mixture of seeds
a little olive oil to grease the loaf pans

Here's What You'll Need To Do:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 F (190 C).
2. Place the walnuts on a roasting pan and lightly toast them for a few minutes. Just until you start to smell the great aroma they give off. Don't over roast them, as that makes them bitter. Remember, they will continue to roast in the bread!!

3. Place all of the rest of the ingredients, except the seeds in a large bowl. Mix thoroughly to make a very thick batter. Only then, mix in the seeds and the roasted nuts.

4. Place the batter into two lightly-oiled loaf pans (8 1/2 X 4 1/2 in (23X10 cm), smoothing out the top with a wettened spatula.

5. Bake for about 40 minutes (without turbo) or until nicely browned. They will sound hollow when 'thumped' on the bottom.

Whole Wheat Bran Muffins

I have to admit that I hesitated a while before posting this recipe. After all, there will be some, who claim that muffins are not really bread. And I suppose on some level they are right. But, really, does this matter in the grand scheme of things. In truth, there are different kinds of muffins (just like there are different kinds of biscuits, BTW) and some are breadier, and others are cakier. I don't even know if those are words and I suspect not. Anyway, I have also been thinking for a long time about expanding this scope of this blog to include all baked goods not just bread. I mean I have posted a recipe for a 'quick' brioche, and is brioche bread or cake? I don't know. Some will argue bread, others cake.

And so we come to muffins. Everybody loves them, but they do seem to fall on the cake side of the debate. Even the breadier ones. These muffins are for the health conscious, meaning that although they include sweeteners (brown sugar and molasses) they also include a whole cup and a half of wheat bran, i.e., lots of fiber. I mean lots. They are delicious and not too loaded up with fat (only a small amount of oil).   They can be ready in time for breakfast, or to grab on the way out the door to work. Anyway, enjoy.

Here's What You'll Need for 1 dozen muffins:

1 1/4 cups AP flour
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp. salt
1 1/4 tsp cinnamon
3/4 tsp. allspice
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
7 Tbs. softened butter or margarine
1/2 cup plus 2 Tbs. packed brown sugar
2 large eggs
2 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
3 Tbs. molasses
1/4 cup sour cream
1 cup plus 3 Tbs. buttermilk
1 1/2 cups wheat bran
1 cup raisins

Here's What You'll Need To Do:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 F (190 C).
2. Whisk together the dry ingredients (flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt and spices) in a medium bowl.
3. Mix thoroughly the wet ingredients (butter or margarine, eggs, vanilla, molasses, sour cream and buttermilk) in a separate bowl. It is important to mix in the order they appear in the ingredient list. So... start with the butter, mixing until it becomes a little fluffy then add the brown sugar and beat until they are light and fluffy. Afterwords, add the eggs, one at a time, then the other ingredients adding each one and incorporating before adding the next.
4. Finally, pour the dry ingredients into the bowl with the wet and beat them together adding a little bit at a time until they are all mixed.
5. Mix in the bran and then the raisins to make the final mixture.
6. Fill the cups of a lightly oiled muffin tin about 2/3 full and bake in the preheated oven for about 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in one of the muffins comes out clean.
7. Let the baked muffins sit in the muffin pan for about 5 minutes or so before removing them. Then, remove them carefully, and let them cool completely on a rack.

8. Enjoy!!

An Everyday Bread with a Twist - Whole Wheat Sourdough Bread

Lately I've been experimenting with some time-honored techniques for making dough. Specifically, I've been trying to push the limits and thereby understand the characteristics of fermenting dough. The idea is simple and, believe me, not at all new. It has been used, in one form or another, for thousands of years. Like I said, it's really quite simple. Wheat has locked in its molecules natural sugars and texture enhancers.What can I do to unlock them naturally?

As it turns out, quite a bit! It is all about controlling the speed at which the yeast rises the dough. One way is to place the mixed dough in the refrigerator overnight. When you do this, the yeast continues to 'unlock' the flavors in the wheat without significantly rising because the cool temperature slows it down to almost nothing. Another way is to add very little yeast (or none) and mix the flour with water. Leave it to ferment for a few hours at room temperature and only afterwards start mixing the dough. This is important in, say, whole wheat bread where the flavor and natural sugars are locked up tight.

This bread is one of many in this ongoing learning process. It uses both a soaker and a slow fermented dough, called poolish (a flour water slurry). To help out a little, I added about 5g (1 tsp.) of wheat gluten because whole wheat flour is both heavy by itself, and the bran in the dough (it is whole wheat after all) tends to cut the gluten strands and lessen the rise.

This bread takes two days because of the deliberate slowdown of the rising process. It is very healthy and very delicious, well worth waiting for.

Here's What You'll Need:

for the soaker
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup warm water

for the poolish
1 1/8 cups whole wheat flour
about 1 g. active dry yeast (a large pinch or 1/8 tsp. + half of 1/8 tsp.)
5/8 cup water at room temperature

for the dough
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 tsp. salt
3/4 tsp. active dry yeast
1 1/2 Tbs. honey
3/4 Tbs. vegetable oil
1 medium egg
5 g. (1 tsp.) wheat gluten
seeds for decoration

Here's What You'll Need to Do:
1. The day before baking prepare the soaker and the poolish ferment. For the soaker place the flour and the water in a container and mix them together. Cover the container and let it stand at room temperature until tomorrow.

2. For the poolish ferment, mix all the ingredients together, then let it sit to ferment for about 4 hours until it starts to get bubbly. Then put in the refrigerator overnight.

3. The next day take the poolish out of the refrigerator an hour or so before using to take off the chill. Then place the whole wheat flour, salt, gluten and yeast in a large bowl and mix. Add the poolish and the soaker along with the egg, oil and honey and mix thoroughly until it forms a ball of dough.
4. Knead the dough for 5 to 10 minutes until it becomes quite smooth and slightly tacky.
5. Place the kneaded dough in a lightly oiled bowl, turn to coat, then cover and let it rise until doubled (about 2 hours).
6. Remove the dough from the bowl, then flatten to a rectangle the length of your baking pan. Fold, de-gassing as little as possible, like a letter, then place it, seam side down, in the greased loaf pan.
7. Let the dough rest and rise for about another hour or until it just rises above the lip of the loaf pan.

8. About 20 minutes before baking time, preheat the oven to 350F (175C). Just before placing in the oven, spray the dough with water then sprinkle, if you desire, with some decoration. I used rolled oats as you can see in the photos.

9. Bake for about 30 minutes, then turn it around for even baking, and bake at least 10 minutes more (or until it sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom.

As I said this is part of an ongoing learning experience. On the way I'm having lots of fun and eating lots of good bread.
Enjoy!

A First Timer - Whole Wheat Bread in 5 Minutes a Day

OK. Let's make this clear right at the begining. It took more than 5 minutes. In fact, this bread, took 24 hours. About. I started it yesterday when I mixed the dough and finished it today when I shaped the loaf and baked it. The actual shaping of the loaf took less than 5 minutes though. Still, this bread is well worth the effort. I used a recipe from Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day: 100 New Recipes Featuring Whole Grains, Fruits, Vegetables, and Gluten-Free Ingredients, a great book that takes a new and, admittedly, radical approach to making bread. I am very impressed with the result. The loaf looks great, and the taste is fantastic. Also, it has a nice chewy crust and a soft crumb. I toasted a thick slice, put a few pieces of Gouda (which slightly melted on the warm bread) and who needs more? What is a little disconcerting, is that the dough is so wet. It is almost like a starter, except that it doesn't get mixed into additional ingredients. The mixture from Day 1 is the bread!! It really is simple, and so tasty. Maybe not 5 minutes, but well worth the extra time for great results. You won't be sorry!

Here's What You'll Need (for 1 1 1/2 lb. - 680 g.- loaf):
2 cups less 1 Tablespoon (270 g.) whole wheat flour
1 cup less 3 Tablespoons AP flour (100 g.)
1 teaspoon yeast
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 Tablespoon (13 g. ) wheat gluten
1 1/5 cups (390 ml.) warm water

Here's What You'll Need to Do:
1. Mix together all the dry ingredients in a plastic container with a lid. It should not be air-tight as the gases will build up. But it should be covered so the dough does not dry out.
2. Mix in the water just enough to make sure everything is dampened. You do not need to knead this dough, just be sure it is mixed thoroughly.

3. Allow the dough to rise in the container, covered, until it doubles.
4. Do not punch down the dough!! Instead, place the container, covered, into the refrigerator at least for 3 hours (preferably overnight).

The next day...
1. Prepare a baking tray (or a peel if you have one - I don't) by coating liberally with flour.
2. Gently remove the dough from the container

and, by stretching and shaping, make a ball. Place this shaped loaf on the prepared peel (or board).
3. Cover the dough with oiled plastic wrap for 90 minutes (or 30 minutes if using at room temperature) to rest. It will not rise much, if at all.

4. Meanwhile, about 30 minutes before baking, place an oven tray on the bottom of the oven and a baking stone on the middle rack. Pre-heat the oven to 450 F (220 C).
5. When the oven is ready, pour about 1 cup boiling water into the oven tray and quickly close the door to create a steamy environment.
6. Just before placing in the oven, brush water on the bread, then sprinkle seeds. Slash the bread with a serrated knife to allow gases to escape and for the bread to rise evenly.

6. Place the dough directly on the baking stone (or if on a baking sheet place the sheet directly on the stone).
7. Bake for about 45 minutes. Cool on a rack completely before slicing.

An Old World Bread with Whole Wheat Flour and Chickpeas

While it is well-known that the first humans came from what is today East Africa (Kenya and Tanzania mostly), the first agricultural communities developed in the Middle East. The city of Jericho, with remnants of a settlement going back some 10,000 years claims to be the oldest. And all over the Middle East are cities and towns with past histories spanning many thousands of years. One of the very first domesticated plants, a plant grown from seeds from year to year was wheat, and bread, is one of the very first foods that was cooked (baked in an open fire most likely) and not eaten raw. It grows wild in the Middle East to this day. Other grains, whose seeds were gathered, then saved and re-planted in the spring include barley, and chickpeas. In the West they are also called garbanzo beans, although technically, they are seeds, not beans. They do not, as far as I know, grow in a pod. Whatever. Chickpeas remain very popular throughout the Middle East. They are, of course, the main ingredient in the ever present hummus dip. And they find themselves in sauces, dips and baked dishes everywhere.


In the health food community, and in the gluten-free communities, they also are popular both because of their great health benefits (fiber, protein minerals and vitamins etc.) and also because, when dried they can be ground into a gluten-free flour. This unusual bread adapted from  a recipe in The Laurel's Kitchen Bread Book: A Guide to Whole-Grain Breadmaking . 

It uses mashed, cooked chickpeas (not hummus which is flavored with spices) as well as whole wheat and all-purpose flour. Needless to say, it is super-healthy and just as important, it is delicious. Enjoy!

Here's What You'll Need for 1 loaf:
1 cup of cooked chickpeas
1 teaspoon of active dry yeast dissolved in 1/4 cup (60ml) warm water
1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1 Tablespoon honey
cooking water from chickpeas plus more water to make 1 cup liquid
1/8 cup (2 Tablespoons) olive oil (optional)

Here's What You'll Need to Do:
1. Cook the chickpeas in the water until very soft. If you are using canned chickpeas, this will take only a few minutes. If you are using dry beans, it can take as much as 3 hours of slow cooking. You decide. When they are done, drain, but save the water, then mash the chickpeas to as smooth as possible with a fork. Set aside.
2. Dissolve the yeast in the warm water. Dissolve the honey in the liquid (cooking water plus more to make 1 cup plus oil if using).

3. Mix together the flours and the salt, then add the liquids and the yeast mixture to the dry ingredients. Mix together and knead to form a soft, slightly tacky dough. It will be quite supple and elastic. 

A quick way to do this is to use a food processor. A minute or two of mixing, using the steel blade and you are done. Just mix until the dough forms a ball and starts circling the processor bowl. You may find you need to add a bit (as much as 1/4  to 1/2 cup) of flour since the whole wheat absorbs more liquid than regular. Let the dough be your guide.

4. Place the dough in a lightly-oiled bowl, covered, until doubled. This can take 1 1/2 hours.

5. Punch down the dough, gently then flatten it to an even disk and leave it, covered, for about 20 minutes to relax.

6. Finally, shape the dough into a loaf shape, the length of your loaf pan, and let it rise, again covered until it fills the pan. This can take another hour.

7. Bake at 350 F (175 C) for about 30 minutes or until a rich golden brown and it sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom.
8. Cool on a rack and store carefully to prevent it drying out. Enjoy!

A Straightforward Bread with a Twist- Non-Dairy Sandwich Bread

OK, I admit it. There are plenty of great sandwich bread recipes, and they aren't (and don't have to be) complicated or difficult. Sometimes, however, you want a simple bread that has all the qualities of a sandwich bread: sturdy for holding the filling but not tough and dry, soft without being wet, and tasty (of course) without being too sweet. Especially if your sandwiches are on the savory side. You know, roast beef, cold cuts, smoked meat and fish, good sharp cheeses. You know. At the same time you don't want to compromise on healthy, nutritious bread. What to do? Here is a recipe that  uses some of the ingredients and techniques I have posted in my ever-growing series of basic breads, in combination. It uses soy milk instead of regular milk and 'light' whole wheat flour in combination with regular bread flour. The result is a sandwich bread that is tasty and sturdy, without the aftertaste you sometimes get with soy. The whole wheat supplies the fiber and the regular bread flour the gluten. It is soft like an egg bread (challah is the classic egg bread) but there's no egg! A great compromise that really delivers the goods. The only problem might be, that it doesn't have a long 'shelf-life'. Don't worry, it will disappear before it has time to spoil. Enjoy!

Here's what you'll need:
1 1/4 cups (about 300ml) unflavored soy milk
1 Tbs honey
1 tsp yeast
1/4 cup (about 60ml) warm water
3 cups (450g) light whole wheat flour
or
1 1/2 cups light whole wheat flour and 1 1/2 cups bread flour
1 1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp butter or oil 

Here's what you'll need to do: 
* If the soy milk is not super fresh, i.e., you bought it today or yesterday at the earliest) then bring it to a boil then let it cool completely. This will help remove the aftertaste that some people do not like from soy milk. 
1. Add the honey to the cooled soy milk, then the butter or oil. Stir to combine.
2. Dissolve the yeast in the warm water. 
3. Combine the dry ingredients (flour and salt), then, making a 'well' in the middle add the soy milk mixture and the yeast mixture. Combine to make a smooth dough.

4. Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface for about 10 minutes to make a dough that is slightly sticky and very smooth.
5. Place the kneaded dough in a lightly oiled bowl and let it rise, covered with a damp towel or plastic wrap, until doubled. This will take about 1 1/2 hours at room temperature.
6. Gently de-gas the dough and shape into a loaf the length and width of a loaf pan.

Place the loaf in a lightly greased loaf pan and let it rise until it is even with the height of the pan.
7. Heat the oven to 350 F (175 C) and bake the bread for about 35 minutes until golden brown and it sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom. 

* Some variations:
* Add sunflower seeds to the bread dough after the first rise. Roll it out into a rectangle, sprinkle the seeds then roll it up and knead it to distribute evenly.
* Roll the loaf in poppy seeds or sesame seeds before placing in the loaf pan.
* Add raisins or dried cranberries (the same way as the sunflower seeds).