Instructions: * (Coarsely ground cornmeal, or regular grind if you cant find coarse)

MIXING
In a bowl mix 2 c. of flour and all the other dry ingredients, through yeast. Add the cooked brown rice, honey, buttermilk, and water. Beat for 2-3 minutes to mix well. With a wooden spoon, gradually add the rest of the bread flour (or as much as it takes).

KNEADING
Because Struan has so many whole grains, it takes longer to knead than most breads, usually 12 to 15 minutes by hand. The dough will change before your eyes, lightening in color, becoming gradually more elastic and evenly grained. The finished dough should be tacky but not sticky, lightly golden, stretchy and elastic rather than porridgelike. When you push the heels of your hands into the dough, it should give way but not necessarily tear. If it flakes or crumbles, add a little more water.

PROOFING
Wash out the mixing bowl and dry it thoroughly. Put in the dough and cover with a damp towel or plastic wrap or place the bowl inside a plastic bag. Allow the dough to rise in a warm place for about 1 hour, until it has roughly doubled in size.

FORMING LOAVES
This recipe makes about 5 pounds of dough (81 ounces, to be exact); to make 3 loaves of 1-1/2 lb. each, cut the dough into 3 pieces - each will weigh 27 oz. Roll up each piece into a loaf by pressing on the center with the heels of the hands and rolling the dough back over on itself until a seam is formed. Tuck all the pieces of dough or end flaps into the seam, keeping only one seam in the dough. Pinch off the seam, sealing it as best you can, and put the loaf, seam-side down, in a greased 9x4-1/2x3" loaf pan. Brush an egg wash solution (1 egg beaten into 4 c. water) on the top of each loaf and sprinkle the poppy seeds on top.

BAKING
Cover and allow the dough to rise till it crests over the top of the pan. Bake in a 350F oven (300F in a convection oven) for approximately 45 minutes. The loaf should dome nicely and be a dark gold. The sides and bottom should be a uniform medium gold and there should be an audible, hollow thwack when you tap the bottom of the loaf.

If the bread comes out of the pan dark on top but too light or soft on the sides or bottom, take the loaf out of the pan, return it to the oven, and finish baking until it is thwackable. Bear in mind that the bread will cook much faster once it is removed from the pan, so keep a close eye on it.

Allow the bread to cool thoroughly for at least 40 minutes before slicing it.

NOTES: Struan is the signature bread of Brother Junipers Bakery in Santa Rosa, California.

"Brother Junipers Struan is made from wheat, corn, oats, brown rice, and bran. It is moistened with buttermilk and sweetened with brown sugar and honey and, as far as I know, we are the only bakers still making a Struan. Susan and I went to Scotland and could find no sign of it. We went to the National Library in Edinburgh. Some research uncovered that it originated in the Hebrides, probably on the Isle of Skye (there is a place there called Struanmoor). It worked its way to the outer island of Lewis where the Michaelmas tradition probably survived the longest. Struan dropped out of sight in the early part of this century.

"It is a shame that nobody else makes it because it is an exquisitely beautiful bread.

From our research, though, it seems that Struan was not always a light and pretty loaf. The original formula, according to the old hymn, The Blessing of the Struan, seems to include a number of wild and crazy ingredients such as dandelion, smooth garlic, carle-doddies and cail peach, foxglove, and marigold. There was a stiff penalty if a young lasss loaf fell during baking: one year of bad luck. That could be pretty discouraging. Some sort of flour and egg batter was periodically splashed on the loaves while they baked to give them a thick glossy outer coating. ...

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