The bread isn't really spicy, but the bit of ginger and cloves add a little something. This recipe is from the Old Shaker Recipes cookbook I got at the Rebecca-Ruth Candy Factory. It's printed by Bear Wallow Books. If you're looking for a hearty bread that makes fabulous toast, give this a try. I'm posting the full recipe which makes 2 loaves. We could never eat 2, so I made a half-recipe and I used white whole wheat, so mine wasn't quite so dark.
Ingredients:
2 packages dry yeast (1 package = 2 1/2 tsp. I use SAF Instant)
1/2 cup warm water (Not too hot!)
4 Tablespoons butter
1/2 cup dark molasses
2 cups milk
3 Tablespoons brown sugar
4-5 cups unbleached flour
2-2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour (I used white whole wheat)
1/2 cup wheat germ
3 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon powdered cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
dash of nutmeg
Directions:
1. Sprinkle yeast on the 1/2 cup warm water. Give it a bit of a stir and let it sit for a few minutes to dissolve and get woken up.
2. Put butter, molasses, milk, and brown sugar in a saucepan and heat. Do not boil, you just want the sugar to dissolve and butter to melt. Remove from heat and let it cool to lukewarm.
3. When sugar mixture is cooled, at the dissolved yeast. Pour into a large bowl.4. In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients (flours and the rest).
5. Add flour mixture a bit at a time, beat well after each addition of flour. Stop when the dough makes a ball and comes away from the sides of the bowl. You might have a bit of flour leftover.
6. Turn dough onto floured bread board and knead 5-8 minutes until smooth and satiny.
7. Place dough in a greased bowl, cover and put in a warm place to rise until double (2 hours).
8. Punch down gently.
10. Bake in 350-degree oven for 35-45 minutes. Mine got a bit too brown on the top. You might want to put a loose aluminum foil tent over if yours is getting too brown.
11. Brush tops with butter and remove from pan. Eat some while it's warm!
