Flax and Sunflower Seed Bread

Delicious! I will make this again soon to give away - I don't want to share this first batch! I made this bread in the traditional manner, without the bread machine: 1. proof yeast in 1/2 cup water 2. add yeast, additional water, honey, and butter to the mix of flour, salt, and seeds 3. knead by hand or in a sturdy mixer 4. let rise one-hour, punch down and let rise 30 minutes 5. shape into two loaves and let rest 20 minutes 6. bake at 400 degrees about 25 minutes.

I have made this bread three times, once using butter as directed and twice substituting canola oil. It has come out perfect every time! I especially enjoy toasting the slices, as it really brings out the flavor in the seeds. I live alone and can't eat all the bread before it gets stale, so I slice up the loaf and freeze it in a big Ziploc bag, then heat the slices in my toaster oven as needed. Yum!!

I don't typically buy or like whole wheat breads, but the flax and sunflower intrigued me, as I like both. This turned out really well. In previous reviews, I've said that I don't like the way bread machine bread turns out, so I baked this in my oven. I set my bread machine on the dough cycle, followed the recipe and then put the dough in a greased stoneware loaf pan and let rise for about an hour. Then I baked at 350 for 10 minutes, rotated the pan 180 degrees, and baked for another 10 minutes. It came out perfectly. I wouldn't recommend doing what I did on the first loaf - I sprinkled flax seed on the top, because I thought it would be pretty. Unfortunately, they just don't stick. I'll just throw a handful into the mix next time. And, if you're unfamiliar with flax, you should know that it really should be ground up well. Your body cannot digest whole flax seed and you will not get the benefit of the flax unless you chew it up completely. It's much easier, and beneficial to grind it in a coffee grinder. Thanks for a hearty, dense winter bread recipe Erna!