Recipe - Mrs Elizabeth Ovenstads Bread

2 cup Boiling water
One half cup Wholewheat kernels, or
wheat berries
One half cup Warm water
1 tablespoon Sugar
2 pack Active dry yeast
1/3 cup Rye flour
1/3 cup Wholemeal, wholewheat
flour
6 To 7 cups white flour
1 tablespoon Salt
1 cup Of warm milk
1 cup Of warm water
INSTRUCTIONS
Pour:
2 cup Boiling water
Over:
One half cup Wholewheat kernels, or
wheat berries,
(available in health food
stores)
Allow to stand for an hour
or two to soften the
berries.
Proof the yeast as follows:
One half cup Warm water
1 tablespoon Sugar
2 pack Active dry yeast
While the yeast is proofing,
combine in a bowl:
1/3 cup Rye flour
1/3 cup Wholemeal, wholewheat
flour
3 cup White flour
Drained wheat kernals
1 tablespoon Salt
Add:
Proofed yeast mixture from
above
1 cup Warm milk
1 cup Warm water
(Note that you may use the
water that was used to soak
the
Wheat berries.)
Knead well, adding
additional:
White flour

Another recipe from James Beard's book, "Beard On Bread". About this bread
James Beard says, "I learned to make this bread in Norway, at Mrs
Ovenstad's farm near Oslo. She bakes it twice a week, and though she
resorts to heating the dough over steam for the second rising, it comes out
beautifully. She is also a deft pastry cook and gardner, and loves to eat.
(2 large Loaves)"

about One half cup at a time. You may need to add 3 more cups, give or take a
bit.

Form into a ball, place into a greased bowl, turn and cover. Allow to rise
until doubled in bulk, probably about 1 hour.

Punch down and knead 10 minutes, then cut into two equal pieces, form
loaves, and allow to rise again.

You may elect to allow the bread to rise a second time in the bowl. If so,
James Beard feels that the bread may need some help in the second rising,
in the form of a bit of heat. I am not so sure, as this was a very willing
bread dough. Then again, I almost always rise my bread in a Microwave oven
anyway.

As to baking, this bread requires about 1 hour in a 400ø F. oven.

This bread should have a good crunchy crust.

I have made this loaf without the wheat berries, as the crust and bread is
delightful without the berries, and some members of the family refer to
soft berries as "erasers" and hard berries as "rocks" refusing to eat
bread with either. However, with a bit of practice, you will be able to
use the wheat berries at the right point so they will be neither "rocks" or
"erasers".

Posted originally by Mike Avery