Preparation / Directions:
Makes two 8-inch loaves
Three days ahead put the wheatberries in a 2-quart glass jar, and follow the directions* for sprouting them. Be sure, however, to reserve 2 1/4 cups of the drained warm water from the last rinsing.
Now put the yeast in a large mixing bowl, pour 1/4 cup of the berry sprout liquid over it, and mix in the brown sugar. Let stand until the yeast is dissolved and starts to swell.
Meanwhile mix the dry milk, salt, and butter with the remaining berry water, heating it a little if necessary to melt the butter. Cool to lukewarm, then pour onto the yeast and mix well. Add the graham flour, the sprouted berries, and all but 1/2 cup of the white flour; mix until you have a stiff dough. Turn out onto a floured work surface and let rest while you clean and grease your bowl. Knead the dough, adding more of the white flour as necessary until you have smooth resilient dough, about 8-10 minutes. Place the dough in the greased bowl, turning to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise to double its volume - about 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
Punch down the dough and leave to rise again - about 1 hour.
Turn the dough out, form 2 loaves, and place in greased 8-inch bread pans. Cover lightly with a towel and let rise until double in volume - abut 45 minutes.
Bake in a preheated 425 F oven for 10 minutes, then lower the heat to 350 F and bake another 35 minutes. Turn out of the pans and cool on a rack.
* In a 2-quart jar or a bean-sprouter cover 1/2 cup wheat kernels with warm water up to the rim. Make a cheesecloth covering for the jar, fastened around the neck with an elastic band. Let stand overnight in a dark place. The next morning pour the water off through the cheesecloth, shake gently to extract as much water as you can, then lay the jar on its side in a dark place until evening. Pour warm water into the jar again, swish it around, and pour off. Do this twice a day for two more days, always storing the jar in the dark. By the end of 3 days you will have well-sprouted kernels. Drain them and spread them out on a cookie sheet. Dry in a 200 F oven overnight. The next morning pulverize the dried sweet kernels in a coffee or spice mill or a blender and store in a tightly lidded jar. The malt will keep indefinitely.
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