How-to Article - The Morning Music

Wild Rice Bread with Sunflower Seeds

Prep: 35 min Makes 16 slices each

Ingredients

2 packages (1/4 ounce each) active dry yeast
1 cup warm water (110° to 115°)
1 package (8.8 ounces) ready-to-serve long grain and wild rice
1 cup plus 1 tablespoon unsalted sunflower kernels, divided
1 cup warm fat-free milk (110° to 115°)
1/3 cup honey or molasses
1/4 cup butter, softened

Even if you’ve never made homemade bread or worked with yeast before, this homemade artisan bread is for you. Watch the video tutorial above and review the recipe instructions and recipe notes prior to beginning. If you’re new to working with yeast, reference my Baking with Yeast Guide for answers to common yeast FAQs.

I loved skipping the boring school cafeteria meals and going to my grandma’s house for lunch. She spent most of her life in northeastern Minnesota, which is reflected in this bread’s ingredients. Now my family uses this for our holiday stuffing.

35 Min

Prep Time

60 Min

Bake Time

16 Slices

Makes

131kcal

Calories

Step 1

IN A SMALL BOWL

In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. In a large bowl, combine rice, 1 cup sunflower kernels, milk, honey, butter, flaxseed, salt, yeast mixture, whole wheat flour and 1 cup all-purpose flour; beat on medium speed until combined. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a stiff dough (dough will be sticky).

Step 2

Turn dough onto a floured surface

knead until elastic, 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease the top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1-1/4 hours. Mauris dignissim velit in ullamcorper pretium. Nunc aliquet lacus a odio condimentum consequat. Suspendisse non sodales nunc. Donec sodales luctus cursus. Pellentesque faucibus eros vulputate, efficitur mauris nec, malesuada massa.

Step 3

Punch down dough

Turn onto a lightly floured surface; divide in half. Roll each half into a 12×8-in. rectangle. Roll up jelly-roll style, starting with a short side; pinch seam and ends to seal. Place each in a 9×5-in. loaf pan coated with cooking spray, seam side down.

Step 4

Cover with kitchen towels

let rise in a warm place until almost doubled, about 45 minutes. Preheat oven to 375°. Morbi id ipsum a neque viverra iaculis. Curabitur lacinia elit a tortor suscipit rhoncus. Vestibulum libero ante, consectetur non fringilla eget, mattis vel nibh. In aliquet urna nisi, nec auctor ex mollis eget. Duis vel vehicula nunc, et consectetur nisl.

Step 5

Brush loaves with egg white

sprinkle with remaining sunflower kernels and, if desired, wheat germ. Bake 35-45 minutes or until dark golden brown. Cool in pans 5 minutes. Remove to a wire rack to cool. Nulla nec tortor eu odio ultricies bibendum sit amet non odio. Phasellus eu sem eros. Nulla tincidunt turpis quis facilisis aliquam. Nullam a sapien finibus, accumsan lacus a, sodales augue. Nam molestie purus nec dui pellentesque lacinia. Pellentesque eget augue non elit fringilla hendrerit.

Notes

Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: The dough can sit in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, so this is a wonderful recipe to begin ahead of time. You can also bake the bread, allow it to cool, and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator and allow to come to room temperature before serving. You can also freeze the dough. Complete the recipe through step 3. Wrap in plastic wrap and place in a freezer-friendly container. To bake, allow dough to thaw overnight in the refrigerator, or for 2-3 hours at room temperature. Continue with step 4 and the rest of the recipe instructions.
Flour: For absolute best flavor and chewy texture, I strongly recommend using bread flour. You can use a 1:1 substitution of all-purpose flour in a pinch with no other changes to the recipe. I recommend avoiding whole wheat flour in this dough. If necessary, use half bread flour and half whole wheat flour. The bread will taste a bit dense.
Yeast: You can use instant or active dry yeast, but I highly recommend an instant (aka “rapid rise” or “quick rise” yeast). The bread will rise faster. I usually use Platinum yeast by Red Star, which is an instant yeast. 2 teaspoons is a little less than 1 standard packet. If using active dry yeast, there are no changes needed to the recipe. The rise time in step 2 may take longer.

RECIPE TIPS

A dough’s first rising can be done in the fridge overnight. This slows down the time it takes to rise to double its size, giving it a deeper flavour. It’s also a great timesaver, as you can start it the night before, then finish it off the next day.

To make this in a breadmaker, add all the ingredients to your breadmaker and follow the manufacturer’s instructions.