Outback's Honey Wheat Bushman's Bread

This is a bread that I enjoy at Outback Steakhouse and plan to make for our next Creative Cooking (in two weeks.) (I suggest if you are a serious cooker...I love making you words....you need to invest in some good food coloring. Not just your basic 4 colors. I like my Wilton 8 colors gel. And of course, it doesn't have caramel color but I'll get pretty close.) I usually don't post recipes I haven't actually made yet but I'll let you know how this turns out. How true of a "clone" is actually is.

Outback's Honey Wheat Bushman's Bread

1 1/4 cup water -- warmed

2 teaspoons granulated sugar

2 1/4 teaspoons yeast (1 pkg.)

1/4 cup honey

2 Tablespoons molasses

2 cups bread flour

1 3/4 cups wheat flour

1 tablespoon cocoa

1 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons butter

-- softened coloring: the real recipe calls for caramel coloring. You probably don't have that, so just mix 1 1/4 tsp. red food coloring, 1 tsp. blue food coloring and 1 tsp. yellow food coloring

Cornmeal for dusting

1. Mix sugar with warm water, then dissolve the yeast in the solution. Wait 5 minutes.

2. While the yeast is dissolving, mix the flours, cocoa, and salt in a large bowl. Mix butter into the dry mixture with your hands. Make an impression in the middle of the dry mixture. Add the honey and molasses into the well. Mix the food coloring with the yeast solution, then pour the solution into the well. Stir from the middle bringing the dry mixture into the wet stuff, slowly at first, then quickly as you incorporate all the ingredients. You will eventually have to use your hands to combine everything. Knead the dough for 10 minutes on a lightly floured surface, then roll the dough into a ball and place it into a covered bowl in a warm place for 1 to 1 1/2 hours or until it has doubled in size.

3. When the dough has doubled, separate it into 6 even portions. Roll each dough portion into logs that re 6 inches long and 2 inches wide. Pour cornmeal onto your rolling surface. Moisten your hands then rub water onto each dough log and roll it in the cornmeal. Arrange the rolled dough on a baking sheet and cover it with plastic wrap. Set the dough in a warm spot to rise for another hour or so until the loaves have doubled in size.

4. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Uncover the dough and bake it for 35 to 40 minutes in the hot oven. When the bread is done, take it out of the oven and let it cool for 10 -15 minutes. Serve the bread with a sharp bread knife and whipped butter on the side.

Directions:

Place all of the ingredients in the bread machine and process on dough setting. The dough will be a little on the wet side and sticky, but if it seems too wet add more flour. When dough is done let it rise for 1 hour. Remove from pan, punch down and divide into 8 portions. Form portions into tubular shaped loaves about 6-8 inches long and 2 inches wide. Sprinkle the entire surface of the loaves with cornmeal and place them on 2 cookie sheets. Cover and let rise for 1 hour. Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes. Serve warm with whipped butter.

Note: If you use a bread machine to knead the dough, just add the ingredients in the following order: Mix the food coloring with the water, then add the colored water to the bread pan followed by the flours, sugar, salt, butter, cocoa, honey molasses and yeast. Set the machine to knead. When the dough's done kneading and rising, go to step #3 of this recipe and take it from there.

Makes 6 small loaves.