10-½ cups stone-ground whole-wheat flour Two - ¼ ounce packages active dry yeast OR Two 3/5 ounces cakes fresh yeast 2 teaspoons salt 5 cups tepid water 1 tablespoon brown sugar, honey or dark molasses
Mix the salt with the flour. In very cold weather, warm the flour slightly - enough to take off the chill.
Place in a cup 3 tablespoons of tepid water, the fresh yeast and the sugar, honey or dark molasses. If using active dry yeast, sprinkle it on top of the water and leave for 2 minutes or so for the yeast to soften before adding the sweetener. In about 10 to 15 minutes this mixture should have produced a thick, creamy froth. Pour this into the flour and add the rest of the water. Mix well - by hand is best - for a minute or so, working from the sides to the middle, until the dough feels elastic and leaves the sides of the mixing bowl clean.
Butter three 9x5-inch loaf pans and leave them in a warm place. Divide the dough, which should be slippery, but not wet, into thirds and place these in the warmed pans. Put the pans in a warm place, cover them with a cloth and leave them for about 20 minutes, or until the dough rises with ½-inch of the rims of the pans.
Bake the loaves in a preheated 400 degree oven for approximately 35 to 40 minutes, or until they sound hollow when rapped on the bottom.
Makes Three 9x5-inch loaves
TO MAKE ONE LOAF: Use 3-½ cups of whole-wheat flour, one ¼-ounce package of active dry yeast OR one 3/5 ounce cake fresh yeast, 1 teaspoon salt, about 1-½ cups of water and 1 teaspoon brown sugar, honey, or molasses.