Stephen's Favorite Honey Wheat Bread

Ingredients:
5 teaspoons instant dry yeast, such as SAF
1 teaspoon salt
6 1/2 cups whole wheat flour (preferably stone ground)
1/2 cup dry milk
1/2 cup wheat germ
1/2 cup unsalted sunflower seeds
2 2/3 cups warm water (about 110 degrees F)
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup molasses

Preparing the dough:
Place the yeast, salt, flour, dry milk, wheat germ and sunflower seeds in the bowl of a heavy duty mixer and stir to combine.

Place the warm water, oil, honey and molasses in a separate bowl and stir to combine.

Make a well in the dry mix and pour in the wet mix. Stir to combine.

Knead for 8 minutes with the dough hook at low speed.

Turn the dough onto a floured board and knead by hand about 2 minutes, until the dough stops taking up flour from the board and is round and smooth like a baby's bottom.

Put a tablespoon of olive oil in the mixer bowl and return the dough to the bowl. Turn the dough to coat with oil, cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and place in a draft-free location. Allow to double in bulk, about 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 hours.

Punch the dough down, turn it onto a floured board and divide into two balls. Shape into round loaves and place on a peel covered with cornmeal. This recipe calls for baking the bread on a baking stone, which gives a nice crust. If you wish, however, the bread may be shaped into oblong loaves and placed in non-stick or greased loaf pans.

Turn on the oven (with baking stone in place) and preheat to 350 degrees F.

Cover the dough with a clean cloth and allow to rise another 45 minutes.

Cut a cross deeply in each loaf with a sharp knife and slide the loaves onto the baking stone. Bake 30 to 40 minutes, until a tester comes clean and the bread gives a hollow sound when thumped on the bottom.

If desired, rub a tablespoon of butter over the crust of each of the loaves. Cool the bread on a rack before slicing.

Makes 2 loaves