3 packages dry yeast
1 cup warm water (105°-110°)
2 cups unsifted all-purpose flour
1 cup yellow cornmeal
1 cup blue cornmeal
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup mixed bean sprouts
12 pitted prunes, diced into 1/4 inch pieces
12 pitted dates, diced into 1/4 inch pieces
1/4 white grape syrup
vegetable oil cooking spray

Directions:
Add the yeast to the warm water, stir gently until the yeast dissolves, and set aside.

Place the flour, yellow and blue cornmeal, and salt in the bowl of a food mixed equipped with a dough hook, and mix with a rubber spatula until well combined. Add the bean sprouts, prunes, and dates, and mix with the spatula. Add the white grape syrup and mix at low speed until ingredients are blended and reach the crumbly stage. Add the yeast mixture and mix at medium speed for 15 minutes.

Place the dough on a lightly floured surface and separate it into 4 pieces. Knead each piece 6 to 8 times.

Spray 4 loaf pans (5 3/4 x 3 x 2 1/4) with vegetable oil spray. Roll each piece of dough into a cylinder, stretch cylinders to the size of the pans, place in the pans, and lightly spray the tops. Let rise in a warm place (approximately 80°) for about 1 hour or until doubled in bulk. (See note).

Preheat oven to 300°.

Bake until done, about 40 minutes, and remove from the pans to cool, preferably on a wire rack, before slicing.

Note: A gas oven with a pilot light makes an ideal place to let bread rise, don't turn the heat on, the pilot light alone with supply just enough warmth to encourage rising.


White Grape Syrup
Place 2 (12 ounce) cans of white grape juice concentrate in a 10 inch non stick skillet over high heat and cook until the juice comes to a boil and foamy bubbles cover the entire surface, about 10 to 15 minutes.

Caution: Once the juice starts to foam, the bubbles will rise above the level of the skillet. Immediately reduce the heat to medium, and continue to cook until the juice is reduced to 1 1/2 cups, about 20 minutes or more. Let cool, then place in a covered container and refrigerate.

Before using the syrup in a recipe, remove it from the refrigerator as you start your preparation, so it will have time to come to room temperature. The syrup will be thinner and easier to pour and measure.

Makes 4 small loaves

home      main index      category      recipe list