Whole Wheat Fennel Bread

Total Time: 5 hrs Preparation Time: 4 hrs Cook Time: 1 hr

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup molasses
• 1/4 cup crisco or 1/4 cup vegetable shortening
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 2 cups hot water
• 4 cups flour
• 4 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 cake yeast, dissolved in
• 1/2 cup warm water (or use 1 envelop yeast disolved in 1/2 cup warm water)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons fennel seeds, crushed

Recipe

• 1 grease large bowl and set aside.
• 2 combine first 3 ingredients (molasses-salt) in large bowl.
• 3 add hot water and beat with an electric mixer until well blended.
• 4 add 2 cups flour and 4 cups whole wheat flour, blending at medium speed or stirring with a wooden spoon until well blended.
• 5 add dissolved yeast and fennel.
• 6 stir in enough remaining flour to make a stiff dough.
• 7 gather dough into a ball and transfer to floured bread board and knead for several minutes.
• 8 gather into ball and put in prepared greased bowl, turning to coat both sides of ball.
• 9 cover with plastic wrap or damp towel and let rise in draft-free area (i use an unheated microwave) for about 2 hours or until doubled.
• 10 punch dough down and reshape into ball.
• 11 let rise again until double (1 hour).
• 12 grease 12-cup bundt pan and set aside.
• 13 turn dough onto floured bread board and roll into a cylinder (24 inches long).
• 14 put cylinder in prepared pan, pinching ends together to seal.
• 15 let rise for 30 minutes.
• 16 preheat oven to 375- degree oven.
• 17 bake loaf for 1 hour or unti lightly browned.
• 18 let cool on rack before slicing.