This bread, often known as Canadian Brown Bread, is dark and quite sweet, but pleasingly so. Our recipe shapes the dough into rolls instead of a loaf. We love them with just a plain pat of butter, though they make fine PB&J sandwiches as well.
Weigh your flour; or measure it by gently spooning it into a cup, then sweeping off any excess.
Starting with the smaller amount of water, mix and knead all of the ingredients — by hand, or using an electric mixer or the dough cycle of your bread machine — to form a smooth, soft dough.
Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl, turning to coat all sides. Cover the bowl, and allow the dough to rise until doubled in bulk, at least 1 hour.
Divide the dough into eight pieces. Shape each piece into a small log-shaped loaf. This dough is soft, so use flour or a non-stick spray on your hands.
Sprinkle a lightly greased or parchment-lined baking sheet with cornmeal, place the loaves on the sheet, and cover. Let the loaves rise for 1 hour, or until they look puffy but aren't doubled in size. Towards the end of the rising time, preheat the oven to 350°F.
Bake the bread for 20 to 25 minutes. The loaves will appear slightly darker on the top when they're done. Remove them from the oven, and cool on a rack.
Store, wrapped, for 4 days at room temperature, or freeze for up to 3 months.
