I LOVE baking bread of all kinds and this recipe is one I've been using for about 15 years and absolutely LOVE it! I am grateful to Beatrice Ojakangas for sharing it in her recipe book and now share it with you. It's a solid, hearty bread with rye flour, regular oats, whole wheat flour and all purpose flour, along with the wild rice (Manoomin). It makes great toast, grilled cheese, and french toast. It also freezes VERY well. I usually make 3 one-pound loaves from this recipe, though you can make 2 large loaves and even dinner rolls or hamburger buns (about a dozen / pound of dough, so sometimes I'll make 2 one pound loaves of bread and a dozen buns). I do try to use organic ingredients as much as possible and access what I can locally. Enjoy this tasty gift! (feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns.) Barb
Wild Rice Bread from Beatrice Ojakangas, Singing Pines Wild Rice Recipes
Mix together and let sit: 1/3 c warm water 2.5 tsp yeast (1 pkg) Scald in small sauce pan on stove over med. heat: 2 c milk Mix Together ½ c honey 2 t salt 1 T butter 2 c Scalded milk (done above) When mixture is cooled down a bit add the dissolved yeast mixture. Mix together, add to above and mix all well: 2 c Unbleached flour 2 c whole wheat flour ½ c rye flour ½ c oatmeal Add to above: 1 c cooked wild rice
Gradually add in 2-2 ½ c white flour. As you add it in, once dough is easily manipulated, knead by hand on a lightly floured surface for approximately 10 minutes adding up to the 2 ½ c flour already noted. You may add less, just depends on the texture of the dough as you work it until smooth.
After kneading, turn out dough into lightly buttered bowl large enough to accommodate the rising dough. Cover and place in a warm place out of any drafts. Let rise for 1.5-2 hours until doubled in size. Dump dough out onto work surface, divide into 2-4 chunks of dough (depending on size of bread loafs you want, can even make them into rolls if you like). Can shape and put into greased bread pans, or shape more freely and place on cookie sheets lined with parchment paper. Cover breads in pans with towel and let rise until doubled, approximately 30-45 minutes. Brush with egg wash (beaten egg with 1T water), slash bread surface (not very deeply, this allows bread to release steam in baking so you don’t end up with “cracked” surface, not a big deal if you forget to do this, just not as “pretty” a loaf). Bake for 30-45 minutes in 375 degree oven, or until loaves sound hollow when tapped and are nicely browned. Enjoy!
NOTE: cooking up 1 cup raw wild rice makes about 3 cups cooked rice. Can use rice bits rather than whole grain or mix a bit of both. If you know someone who hand harvests it, after it is roasted often-times the bits are given away since many people don't want them or know what to do with them.
Gratitude to Mother Nature for providing such goodness to nourish our bodies. May we be mindful to keep our waters safe and clean in order for this native grain, unique to Minnesota, to continue to grow wild.