Squaw Bread

 

I love dark wheat bread like you get at Outback or The Cheesecake Factory.  This bread is a soft, sweet, hearty whole wheat bread.  The “secret” ingredient is McCormick’s Caramel Color.   Caramel color is not a food coloring.  It is burnt sugar.  You can buy or order it at Orson Gygi, which is a restaurant supply store in Salt Lake City.

This 16 oz. bottle of caramel color will be good for 2 years.  After two years, it will turn into a thick, heavy sludge that will be impossible to pour out, water down, or use.  If you want a longer shelf life for your caramel color, you may want to purchase the powdered form of caramel color from King Arthur Flour.

This recipe makes either 2 large loaves, 3 – 4 medium loaves, or 8 small loaves.

2 1/2 cups room temperature water* (100°-110°F)

4 T. butter, margarine or vegetable oil

2 T. caramel color

1/2 cup honey

Combine first 4 ingredients (water, oil, color, honey) and mix well.

3 1/2 cups wheat flour

Pour wheat flour on top of wet ingredients.

1 T. cocoa

2 T. active dry yeast

2 T. vital wheat gluten

2 tsp. salt

Add cocoa, yeast, gluten and salt.

Stir until well blended.

Allow mixture to sponge for 10 minutes.  The sponging processes gives the bran in the wheat flour a chance to absorb the liquids, resulting in a lighter loaf of bread.  You may notice bubbles, which is just the yeast at work.

In the meantime, set your oven on the Warm setting.

3 1/2 – 4 1/2 cups flour  (I used 3 1/2)

Add flour, one cup at a time, and knead until the dough clings to the hook, and cleans the sides of mixer, and is soft and elastic.

Turn oven off.

Give the top of the dough a light misting of canola oil spray and cover it with plastic wrap.  Place it in the oven until doubled in size, about 20-30 minutes.

Divide dough into 3 piles (or 2 large or 8 small), cover with plastic wrap and allow to rest for 5 minutes.

Shape loaves into desired size “logs”.

Put oats in a shallow pan.

Roll loaf in oats.

 

Cover loaves with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until desired size.  Don’t have them touch each other.

2 large loaves – Bake at 350 degrees for 35 – 40  minutes

3 – 4 medium loaves – Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes

8 small loaves – Bake at 350 degrees for 20 – 25 minutes

After baking, immediately place loaves on a wire cooling rack.

Recipe Source:  Revised from Frieda Loves Bread (found on Pinterest)

 

FULL RECIPE WITHOUT PICTURES —

SQUAW BREAD

I love dark wheat bread like you get at Outback or The Cheesecake Factory.  This bread is a soft, sweet, hearty whole wheat bread.  The “secret” ingredient is McCormick’s Caramel Color.   Caramel color is not a food coloring.  It is burnt sugar.  You can buy or order it at Orson Gygi, which is a restaurant supply store in Salt Lake City.

This 16 oz. bottle of caramel color will be good for 2 years.  After two years, it will turn into a thick, heavy sludge that will be impossible to pour out, water down, or use.  If you want a longer shelf life for your caramel color, you may want to purchase the powdered form of caramel color from King Arthur Flour.

2 1/2 cups room temperature water* (100°-110°F)

4 T. butter, margarine or vegetable oil

2 T. caramel color

1/2 cup honey

3 1/2 cups wheat flour

3 1/2 – 4 1/2 cups flour

2 T. cocoa

2 T. active dry yeast

2 T. vital wheat gluten

2 tsp. salt

about 1/2 cup oats

This recipe makes either 2 large loaves, 3 – 4 medium loaves, or 8 small loaves.

Combine first 4 ingredients (water, oil, color, honey) and mix well.

Pour wheat flour on top of wet ingredients.

Add cocoa, yeast, gluten and salt. Stir until well blended.

Allow mixture to sponge for 10 minutes.  The sponging processes gives the bran in the wheat flour a chance to absorb the liquids, resulting in a lighter loaf of bread.  You may notice bubbles, which is just the yeast at work.

In the meantime, set your oven on the Warm setting.

Add flour, one cup at a time, and knead until the dough clings to the hook, and almost cleans the sides of mixer, and is soft and elastic.

Turn oven off.

Give the top a light misting of canola oil spray and cover it with plastic wrap.  Place it in the oven until doubled in size, about 20-30 minutes.

Divide dough into 3 piles (or 2 large or 8 small), cover with plastic wrap and allow to rest for 5 minutes.

Shape loaves into desired size “logs”.

Put oats in a shallow pan.

Roll loaves in oats.

Cover loaves with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until desired size.  Don’t have them touch each other.

2 large loaves – Bake at 350 degrees for 35 – 40  minutes

3 – 4 medium loaves – Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes

8 small loaves – Bake at 350 degrees for 20 – 25 minutes

After baking, immediately place loaves on a wire cooling rack.

Recipe Source:  Revised from Frieda Loves Bread (found on Pinterest)