Multigrain Poppy Seed Bread - cereal

Method

• To make the dough in a bread machine: put the dough ingredients in the bread pan in the order listed and running the dough cycle.
• Peek at the dough after a few minutes to make sure that the dough is neither too dry or too wet.
• It should be somewhat sticky and soft, but it should pull away from the sides of the pan when the machine kneads it.
• If it is too wet, add additional flour 2 Tbsp at a time.
• If it's too dry, add 1-2 Tbsp of water.
• If you adjusted the consistency, check it again after a few more minutes of kneading.
• This sounds more complicated than a normal bread machine recipe, but I promise, it's still easy.
• If you had to adjust the consistency a lot, you may want to reset the machine and start the dough cycle over to make sure it gets kneaded properly.
• When the dough cycle is complete, continue to step 21.
• To make the dough by hand: combine the water, sweetener and yeast, until completely dissolved.
• Combine the remaining dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl, and stir until mixed.
• Combine the hot cereal and the yeast mixture and pour into a well in the dry ingredients.
• With a wooden spoon, stir the dry ingredients into the wet a little at a time, first forming a thin batter, then a dough.
• When it gets too thick to stir, turn it out onto a counter and begin kneading.
• As with the bread machine instructions, adjust the consistency of the dough as you're kneading.
• This dough will be sticky, but should still be able to be kneaded.
• Knead for 20-30 minutes.
• Return dough to the mixing bowl, and let rise, covered, until about doubled.
• This time will vary widely depending on the temperature, yeast, and other factors, but should be somewhere between one and three hours.
• When you poke the dough, the hole that you make should not fill in right away, and the dough should sigh slightly.
• Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and punch it down and knead it a couple of times.
• Preheat the oven to 450F, with a baking stone inside if you have one.
• Roll the dough up into a log about 12-14 inches long.
• Sprinkle a pizza peel or a cookie sheet with no sides liberally with the dry hot cereal and put the loaf in the middle.
• Brush the loaf with water and sprinkle with the poppy seeds and cover with a damp towel.
• Allow the loaf to rise for about 45 minutes, or until approximately double.
• Slash the top diagonally with a sharp knife.
• Put the loaf in the oven, directly on the baking stone, if you are using one.
• For a crispier crust, spray the inside of the oven with water every couple of minutes during the first 10 minutes of baking.
• After 10 minutes, turn the oven down to 350F.
• Bake for an additional 25-35 minutes, until the loaf is nicely browned and sounds hollow when you tap on the bottom.
• Cool on a rack for at least 20 minutes before slicing.
• If you would like to make sandwich bread instead, do the last rise in the loaf pan, and bake in a greased loaf pan at 350F for 35-45 minutes.