Nut, Seed 'n Fiber Bread - Abm

Bet your crew will never figure out what's in this bread - or that it is good for 'em! But I guarantee they will gobble this down, never the wiser the ingredients are very healthy. Bread makes a lovely sandwich for sweet or savory fillings - it holds together well but is not tough. For the nutritionally oriented - this makes 2 powerful loaves of bread! Prunes are a good source of vitamins A and B, are high in fiber, and are rich in iron, calcium, and phosphorus. From New Scientist, "A tablespoon of blackstrap molasses, which is still 70 per cent sugar, has an iron content which is similar to a steak ..." Alpha linolenic acid, the omega-3 fat found in flaxseed and walnuts, promotes bone health by helping to prevent excessive bone turnover-when consumption of foods rich in this omega-3 fat results in a lower ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fats in the diet.(Griel AE, Kris-Etherton PM, et al. Nutrition Journal) Pumpkin seeds are a very good source of the minerals phosphorous, magnesium and manganese. They are also a good source of other minerals including zinc, iron and copper. In addition, pumpkin seeds are a good source of protein and vitamin K. Pumpkin seeds may promote prostate health, anti-inflammatory benefits in arthritis, lower cholesterol & protection for aging bones (whfoods.com). Enough already - make the bread!!! **vital wheat gluten has vitamin C in it - it helps provide good texture & keeps loaf fresh longer (not that it matters with this bread!).

• Ready In: 2 hrs 15 mins
• Yields: 2 loaves

Ingredients

• 2  cups whole wheat flour
• 3 1⁄2 cups unbleached white flour
• 2  teaspoons salt
• 2  tablespoons vital wheat gluten
• 2⁄3 cup rolled oats
• 1⁄2 cup flax seed
• 2 1⁄4 cups water, warm
• 2⁄3 cup molasses
• 1⁄4 cup olive oil or 1⁄4 cup  peanut oil
• 1 1⁄2 tablespoons  yeast
• 2⁄3 cup walnuts, chopped
• 1  cup  pumpkin seeds
• 2⁄3 cup prune, roughly chopped
• 2  tablespoons  orange peel, coarsely grated

Directions

1. Follow directions of your bread machine for order to add wet & dry.
2. Mix first five ingredients (the dry) in a large bowl & then put in the bread machine (mine loads dry first).
3. Mix next three ingredients (the wet) & add to bread machine.
4. Load the yeast (my machine has a dropdown for yeast - if yours does not, simply mix yeast in with the dry ingredients).
5. Process on "dough, raisin" & add last four ingredients when the bell sounds (if no "raisin" option add these ingredients halfway through last mixing in your machine.
6. ***may be made by hand using same ingredients, kneading to a nice elasticity, allowing to rise warm & cover for 90 minutes, then kneading an additional 10 minutes, then proceding as below.******.
7. Divide dough into 2 portions, slash tops several times with a razor-sharp knife. Allow to rise 30 minutes. I like to brush the tops with heavy cream before making the sllashes - entirely up to you.
8. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Bake 35 - 40 minutes - until clean knife inserted to center comes out clean & they sound hollow when tapped on bottom.