Cranberry Sunflower Bread

Delicious light brown bread loaded with fresh, natural ingredients. You can serve this bread to your vegetarian or naturalist friends with no guilt at all! Great toasted for breakfast, with a luncheon salad, or just to snack!

• Preparation Time: 1 hr 30 mins
• Cooking Time: 40 mins
• Total Time: 2 hr 10 mins
• Calories: 61 Calories

Ingredients

• 2 teaspoons salt
• 2 eggs, beaten
• ⅓ cup shortening
• 1 cup rolled oats
• ¼ cup molasses
• ¼ cup honey
• 2 (.25 ounce) packages active dry yeast
• 6 cups bread flour
• 2 cups hot water
• 1 cup warm water (110 degrees F)
• ⅓ cup roasted sunflower seeds
• ⅔ cup dried cranberries

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

In a small bowl, soak cranberries in hot water. In a separate bowl, dissolve the yeast, honey and molasses in 1 cup warm water. Let stand until creamy, about ten minutes. Drain and chop the cranberries, reserving the liquid; set aside.

Step 2

In a large bowl, combine the reserved water, oats, eggs, salt , shortening and 2 cups of flour. Mix until well blended. Then stir in the yeast mixture. Add the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring well after each addition. When the dough has started to pull together, add the cranberries and the sunflower seeds.

Step 3

When the dough has pulled together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes. Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 45 minutes.

Step 4

Grease two 9x5 inch loaf pans. Deflate the dough and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide the dough into two equal pieces and form into loaves. Place the loaves into the prepared pans. (The dough can also be formed into longer loaves and placed on lightly greased baking sheets.) Cover with a damp cloth and let rise until doubled in volume, about 40 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C).

Step 5

Bake for 10 minutes in the preheated oven, then decrease heat to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C) and continue to bake for another 30 minutes. Turn out of pans a few minutes after removing from oven. You can brush all sides with a little butter or margarine, if desired. Don't cut this bread too quickly, it tastes best slightly warm or at room temperature.