Dakota Bread

NORTH DAKOTA STATE

North Dakota was admitted to the United States on November 2^nd, 1889 and is the 39^th state of the Union. It is in the Upper Midwestern region bordered by Canada (Saskatchewan and Manitoba provinces) to the north, Minnesota to the east, South Dakota to the south and Montana to the west.

The state capitol is Bismarck and the largest city is Fargo. It is the 3^rd least populous state until recently due to the oil boom. In 2013, North Dakota's economy jumped from $24,7 billion to $49.8 billion that attracted people from other states during an economic crisis with people looking for jobs. In 2002, North Dakota had the second smallest economy in the United States with Vermont leading. It has now surpassed Wyoming, Montana, and South Dakota to become the fifth smallest state economy. The sudden change has been good economically, but also has posed problems like heavy traffic that increased traffic deaths and overcrowded schools. It is estimated that there is enough oil to last over 100 years.

North Dakota has two Air Force bases near the cities of Minot and Grand Forks with its primary universities located in Grand Forks and Fargo. The oil extraction from the Bakken formation has helped in a strong job growth with low unemployment during this Great Recession.

Located in the geographical region called the Great Plains, it shares the Red River neighboring states and its location places it near the middle of North America. In square miles, it is the 19^th largest state. The western half of the state is Great Plains and the northern part is called the Badlands west of the Missouri River. It is abundant in natural gas, crude oil and lignite coal. The Missouri River forms Lake Sakakawea, the third largest man-made lake in the United States which is also home to the Garrison Dam. Theodore Roosevelt National Park is located in the Badlands.

For thousands of years the Plains Tribes of North America inhabited what is now North Dakota and the first European to explore that area was the French-Canadian trader La Vérendrye in 1738. North Dakota was sparsely settled until the late 19^th century when railroads crossed the state.

North Dakota State Flag

The original state capitol building burned to the ground on December 28, 1930 and was replaced by a limestone-faced skyscraper that one can see today. From the 2010 United States Census to July of 2013 the population increased by 7.6%. Native Americans make up 5.4% of the non-Europeans that represent the original inhabitants: Arikara, Assiniboine (Nakoda), Chippewa, Hidatsa, Lakota/Dakota Sioux, and Mandan tribes. The Blackfoot and Cheyenne are also located in North Dakota. Most other residents are of Northern European descent: German (47.2%), Norwegian (30.8%), Irish (7.7%), Swedish (4.7%), French (4.1%), English (3.9%), Hispanic (3.9%).

North Dakota has the most churches per capita than any other state. 2001 survey revealed 35% of North Dakota population are Lutheran and 30% Catholic. Mormons total to 3% and Buddhism/Hinduism represents 4% of the population. The largest church bodies are Roman Catholic.

DAKOTA BREAD

In 1989, North Dakota celebrated its 100^th anniversary as a state of the Union with a recipe: Dakota Bread. It represents the state's chief agricultural mainstay: wheat, rye, barley, oats and sunflower seeds. It has been altered by several chefs and cooks, but the main recipe remains.

I first ran across it at the freezer department at local grocery store, five frozen cylinder-shaped dough mounds in a package entitled Dakota Bread. It is not grainy and nutty like the original, for all the ingredients has been ground to powder form, but its still a multi-grain bread minus the pumpkin and sunflower seed nutty texture. You just let it rise until at least one inch of dough rises above the lip of a 9-inch/10-inch bread pan (double dough size) and then bake for 30 minutes. Simple and quick (after rising, which is overnight from the frozen state).

The following recipe calls for a 10-inch loaf pan and it is formed in the traditional Native American round loaf. It too can be frozen so one can make quantities for future use, wrapped in waxed paper and placed in a freezer bag for freezer storage.

The following recipe is based upon the original, not the trimmed-back recipe from America's Test Kitchen called Matt's Dakota Bread.

1 package dry yeast (1 tablespoon)

½ cup honey

1/3 cup warm water (110-115 degrees)

2-3/4 cup whole wheat flour

½ cup cracked wheat flour

2 teaspoons sea salt

¼ cup vegetable oil (olive oil or peanut oil)

1 cup cold water

1 cup raw sunflower seeds

2/3 cup raw pumpkin seeds

2 tablespoons sesame seeds

2 tablespoons poppy seeds

1 egg white

Combine yeast, honey and warm water in a 2-cup liquid measure.

BREAD PROCESSOR METHOD 

Insert dough blade into work bowl. Process the flours, cracked wheat and salt until blended. Pour in the oil while machine runs, then the yeast mixture, then the cold water, all in a slow-steady stream, as fast as the flour mixture absorbs it. Continue to run the machine until the dough cleans the sides of the work bowl, then process an additional 45 seconds to fully knead the dough. NOTE: If the dough rides around the center of the bowl, the mixture is too dry. To correct, pour in 1 tablespoon of water while machine is running and let it incorporate. If the mixture is sticking to the sides of the work bowl, it is too wet, add 1 tablespoon of flour through the small feed tube while machine runs. Continue running for an additional 45 seconds.

Transfer the dough to a 1-gallon zip-type bag and seal shut. Set aside in a warm place until dough has doubled in bulk, about 1-1/2 hours.

Combine all seeds except 2 tablespoons of the pumpkin seeds. Open plastic bag and add the seeds. Knead the seeds into the dough while in the bag. Turn out onto lightly oiled surface. The dough may be shaped into one or two loaves, as desired. When making a Native American round loaf, work on a lightly floured counter and shape loaf by pulling and pinching dough and tucking it under until it forms a smooth, tight ball. French chefs call this boule. I have not determined if round bread was carried through tradition among Native Americans or influenced by early French settlers/traders/trappers.

Place loaf (loaves) on a lightly oiled baking sheet, cover with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled, about 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 375°F.

Chop the remaining 2 tablespoons pumpkin seeds. Stir egg white with 1 teaspoon water. Slash loaf surface. Brush with egg glaze and sprinkle with pumpkin seeds.

Bake in center of the preheated oven until lightly browned, about 35 minutes.

The recipe was originally developed to celebrate the 100^th anniversary of the state of North Dakota by Kristen Gilbertson for the Cafe Latte in Minnesota. She was born and raised in South Dakota, thus the name.

DAKOTA BREAD FOR BREAD MACHINE

Makes a one pound loaf.

¾ cup plus 1 tablespoon spring water (room temperature)

1-1/2 cups white bread flour

½ cup whole-wheat flour

¼ cup cracked wheat (#3 bulgar: soak in boiling water for 5 minutes, then drain)

1 teaspoon sea salt

2 tablespoons honey

2 teaspoons gluten

1 tablespoon canola oil (olive or peanut oil)

1 teaspoon rapid-rise yeast or teaspoons active dry yeast

¼ cup raw pumpkin seeds

½ cup raw sunflower seeds

2 teaspoons sesame seeds

2 teaspoons poppy seeds

Put all ingredients except the seeds in the bread pan and assemble the bread machine according to instructions. Select whole grain cycle, dough, or manual cycle and light crust setting, if available. Finely chop 8 of the pumpkin seeds; set aside. Add all the remaining seeds after the beep or toward the end of the first knead, follow the bread machine instructions for raisin bread.

For added crunch, sprinkle the chopped pumpkin seeds on top of the loaf after the final rise.

Bake and cool as directed.

The following video is a German favorite recipe in Dakota: Potato Bread with Aunt Katie.