Red Fife Wheat Bread

I was gifted with some Red Fife wheat on Sunday, so bread baking it was. I had found a recipe for brown bread using half Red Fife flour. This one was one with an overnight rising. So far so good. Next morning I shaped the dough and put it into a pan and set it aside to proof. Dough was very loose and soft.

Well the dough was either over proofed or just too soft, because it leaked all over the pan onto the floor of the cupboard. Thank God, bread dough is so forgiving though. I kneaded in another 2 cups of flour, and made up two loaves which I then proofed normally. Worked fine. Results are very tasty. Crusty on the outside.

I also did a little research about Red Fife wheat. 

Red Fife is a variety of bread wheat that David Fife and family began to grow in 1842 In Peterborough Ontario. Legend goes that a friend of Mr. Fife collected a sample of seed from a ship in the Glasgow port. Red Fife was the first wheat to be named in Canada and many modern varieties of wheat owe their genetics to Red Fife.

Red Fife wheat is considered a very vital is part of Canada's living history, cultural and agricultural heritage.The wheat had high milling qualities and was known for making exceptional baked goods.

Red Fife seed arrived in Canada when Canadian lands were being opened for producing wheat. Red Fife seed adapted to a great diversity of growing conditions across Canada. It was the baking and milling industry standard for 40 years from 1860-1900. Plant breeders around the world continue to use the genetics of Red Fife to make new varieties of wheats.

The irony though is that for the home baker, Red Fife wheat, as such, is not very easy to find.