Elaines Decorative Harvest Sheaf Loaf Recipe

Directions:

1. Mix the yeast in with the milk; allow to activate
2. Assemble and combine all the dry ingredients
3. Make a well in the center of the bowl, and add the yeast mixture, then add the egg
4. Add the water
5. Mix well, and keep mixing until the dough starts to come away from the sides of the bowl
6. KNEAD to the smooth and blistered stage, which takes about 15 minutes
7. Form into a round ball
8. Place a little olive oil in the bottom of the bowl
9. Place the dough ball into the bowl
10. Coat with olive oil (this prevents a crust from developing, which would create problems for proofing; it also keeps the ball from drying)
11. Place in a warm area to rise; allow to rise about 2 hour, or until doubled in bulk
12. Form the loaf!
13. Cut the dough in half. Reserve the other half under a to prevent it from drying or hardening
14. Create a mushroom shape for the base.
15. Pinch in below the center to make the shape more obvious
16. Coat with a brush with plain water, then:
17. Coat with egg wash to prevent the base from drying while you work on the next stage
18. The sheaves:
19. Taking some of the reserved dough, roll into long strips, then cut as illustrated
20. Roll each little ball in your hands to form an oblong piece.
21. Make one end a bit pointed.
22. NOW comes the fun!
23. With scissors, cut a few notches in this piece as illustrated, to resemble the wheat
24. You will be making over one hundred of these, so patience is a must!
25. Do likewise with more pieces of dough.
26. Assemble from the top of the loaf, then interlap as shown
27. Keep added these little pieces until the sheaf is full.
28. ==============================================
29. NOTE:
30. Brush the pieces every so often as the sheaf pieces are added. This will help them adhere to the base, as well as prevent them from forming a dry crust, which inhibits proofing!
31. Now for the bottom portion:
32. Roll strips of dough to resemble the sheaf stems, and place on the base as shown
33. Make a braid of dough to place on the sheaf to resemble it being tied.
34. Pinch in the ends to make the shape more defined as a ‘tied’ sheaf of wheat
35. Cover the entire loaf liberally with more egg wash
36. Allow to rise until doubled in bulk
37. Bake at 400*F for the first 15 minutes
38. Now reduce the heat to 350*F and continue baking another 30 to 35 minutes, or until the loaf is a light golden brown, and sounds hollow when tapped
39. Allow the loaf to cool on the baking sheet
40. =======================================
41. NOTE:
42. This loaf is time-consuming to prepare, but well worth the effort for the final result!
43. Again, patience is the key, but the finished produce is well worth all the work ! :+D