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1
Dissolve yeast in milk.
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2
Set aside in a warm place to proof, about five minutes.
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3
Mix all but one tablespoon of the molasses with orange rind, salt and ground fennel seeds in a saucepan.
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4
Bring to a boil, then mix with beer in a large bowl.
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5
Mix the remaining tablespoon of molasses with a tablespoon of warm water and set aside to use as a glaze.
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6
Stir in the yeast mixture.
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7
Then stir in the oats, bran and rye flour.
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8
Add the whole wheat flour, a half-cup at a time, to make a soft, somewhat sticky dough.
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9
Turn the dough out onto a board liberally spread with the all-purpose flour.
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10
Knead until the dough is soft, smooth and fairly elastic, adding more all-purpose flour as necessary.
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11
Most of the stickiness should be gone from the dough.
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12
Place dough in an oiled bowl, cover and set aside to rise until doubled, one-and-a-half to two hours.
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13
Punch dough down, knead briefly and divide in half.
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14
Shape each portion of dough into a narrow, plump oval and press the fennel seeds into the top of each loaf.
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15
Place loaves on an oiled baking sheet and set aside to rise until doubled, about one hour.
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16
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
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17
Brush each loaf with some of the glaze prepared in Step 2.
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18
Place breads in the middle of the oven and bake until they sound hollow when tapped, about 40 minutes.
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19
Brush more glaze on the loaves during baking.
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20
Cover breads loosely with foil and cool on racks.
