BROWN RICE ONION BREAD

The days are getting shorter. The thermometer is dropping. It actually was below 70 degrees yesterday. Now that is cold. I may have to change out of my Bermuda's and Birkenstock. That was a joke, son. I have never owned a pair of Birkenstock. It is the time of year to make pots of simmering goodness and fire up the oven for baked goods. I came across a recipe in our local paper for making bread with wild rice. Some locally grown brown rice will be substituted for the wild rice. Black bean chili made with elk meat and home smoked chipotle peppers will accompany the bread. The kitchen will be sizzling with warmth and love. Yes, I will be wearing my Bermudas and shades.

Brown Rice Onion Bread

1. 5 cups bread flour
2. 1 cup whole wheat flour
3. 1 1/2 tablespoon yeast
4. 1/4 cup brown sugar
5. 2 teaspoons salt
6. 1 cup cooked rice (wild or brown)
7. 1 1/2 cup lukewarm water
8. 1/2 cup buttermilk
9. 1/4 cup dried onions minced

Place all ingredients in food processor and mix for 4 minutes. You will have a fairly sticky dough. Turn mixture out on to a cutting board and knead by hand for another 2 minutes. Add minimal amount of flour to prevent sticking. Place dough in lightly oiled bowl, cover, and refrigerate overnight. Take dough out of refrigerator two hours before baking. Place in well oiled loaf pan. (one large or two small) Let rise to 1 inch over lip of pan. Bake at 350 for 50 minutes or until internal temperature is 185 degrees. Let cool for 10 minutes. Remove from pan and cool completely on wire rack.

The black bean chili is made from some ground and loin elk meat. The elk meat is another gift from the Great White Hunter. The recipe is very similar to a recipe used in Bowl of Red from a previous post. Black beans, home grown tomatoes and whole dried chipotles are the difference. Yes, you read correctly. We still have some home grown tomatoes on the vine. They do not have the flavor of summer, but they are still a vast improvement over store bought tomatoes. We will have tomatoes until the rain starts.



The Brown Rice Onion Bread was a very moist loaf. It had a nutty sweet flavor. It toasted up very nice. The dried onion was just a subtle hint of allium flavor. You will not notice that brown rice is an ingredient. The chipotle black bean chili was smoky, spicy and very comforting. A slice of bread with a bowl of red is a wonderful combination of home style warmth.