I’ve been wanting to try this recipe for ages as I am pretty obsessed with making bread.

Me at the nephew’s brewery with a few loaves

Angela is the same, in her brilliant book Positive Moves there’s a great photo of her making bread with the caption, “I don’t ever want to be so busy that I can’t find the time to make a great homemade bread.” Me too Angela!

One of the main ingredients in Angela’s bread is cracked wheat cereal and I had no idea what this was or where to find it. So I skipped over to my chums at Buy Whole Foods Online.

Why on earth I bought 2.5 kilos I do not know…

I nearly killed myself getting that home from work in my backpack.

Angela’s recipe is nice and easy and I really like the idea of chucking a couple of handfuls of bran flakes into the mix. I might do that with other bread dough too, especially as I have loads leftover from the Diana Dors’ Breakfast Crunch recipe.

The loaves looked great, but the bread had quite a CRUNCH to it. And not a crust crunch or a breakfast crunch. A crunch of uncooked cracked wheat I think.

Is American “cracked wheat cereal” the same as British “cracked wheat”? Answers on a postcard please…

If only I knew what was in the SPECIAL FORMULA of Hollywood Bread, I’d be making some for sure…

Again, if anyone knows what was in this bread, get in touch! Endorsed by Elizabeth Taylor or so it seems!

I made Angie’s Power Loaf in advance of my day living my life like Angela Lansbury. Blog post all about the brilliant day I had will be part of the Adoring Angela Lansbury Blogathon so – watch – this – space!

Angie’s Famous Power Loaf

2 cups boiling water

1 and 1/2 cups cracked wheat cereal

3 tablespoons soft shortening (I used butter)

2 tablespoons honey

1 tablespoon salt

2 packets active dry yeast (14g in total)

2/3 cup warm water (105 to 115 degrees)

4 cups stone-ground whole wheat flour (divided use)

2 handfuls bran flakes

2 handfuls quick-cooking oats

1/2 cup wheat germ

Directions:  Pour boiling water over the cracked wheat cereal, and stir it. Add the shortening, honey, and salt to the cereal. Set the mixture aside to cool until it is lukewarm.

Dissolve the yeast in warm water; let stand until frothy and add it to the cereal mixture. Gradually stir in 3 cups of the whole wheat flour. Then stir in bran flakes, oats, and wheat germ. Mix all the ingredients very well and cover the bowl with a damp cloth. Let the dough rise, about 1 hour to an hour and a quarter, until doubled in bulk. When the dough has doubled, punch it down. On a floured surface, knead the dough until smooth and elastic, blending in as much of remaining flour as you need to keep it from being too runny. Knead the dough until it’s fairly elastic and smooth. Divide dough in half and place in 2 greased loaf pans. Cover and let them rise in warm place until doubled. Bake in a preheated oven – 350 degrees F / 175 degrees C / gas mark 4 for 45 minutes or until loaves are well browned and sound hollow when tapped.

Angela says, “I love a slice of this bread, still warm from the oven, with some good plum jam and a cup of tea.

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