Sunflower Seed Bread

 

There is a lovely trio of bread recipes on the back of every bag of Bob’s Red Mill Artisan flour (purple label), as well as a very well-done video here about how to do the overnight loaf.  The printed recipes are for pizza; the popular overnight, sourdough crispy loaf shown in the video; and the third is a generic recipe for an “Amish Country Loaf”.  I have been adapting this Amish bread recipe with a number of personalizations to suit whatever took my fancy at the time.

To the basic recipe, I add nuts/seeds, an egg, potato flakes (or leftover mashed potatoes), freeze-dried shallots, and/or any herbs that strike my fancy.  I’ve substituted barley malt, maple syrup, honey, or molasses for the sugar called for, and butter, olive oil, or coconut oil for the vegetable oil.

This makes a “soft” loaf, as opposed to the more firm sourdough loaf that I usually make.  It is good for making sandwich/burger rolls, and probably for dinner rolls, although I haven’t done that yet.  Rolls can be topped with yet more specialized ingredients that enhance their appeal.  Just brush with some beaten egg (or just the white), and sprinkle on whatever you think would go good with the other foods being offered.

It’s probably nearly impossible to do this wrong, so let your imagination and other menu items guide you to a loaf that perfectly suits your desires.  Very satisfying!  ;->

Hint:  Keep several bags around so you never run out!  So far, I’ve found that Vitacost has the best price.  Since I order many things from them routinely, it is easy to keep a good stock on hand.

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