Sage Bread

Stir together 2 cups of all purpose flour, yeast, sugar, sage and salt in a large mixer bowl. Add water. Beat on low speed for 30 seconds, scraping sides of bowl. Beat 3 minutes at high speed. Stir in whole wheat flour and as much remaining all purpose flour as you can with a wooden spoon.

Turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead in enough remaining all purpose flour to make a stiff dough that is smooth and elastic (8 to 10 minutes). Shape into a ball. Place in a greased bowl. Turn once to grease surface. Cover and let rise in a warm place until double (1 to 1-3 hours).

Punch dough down. Turn out onto floured surface. Divide into thirds. Cover and let rest 10 minutes. Roll each third into 12 x 10" rectangle. Roll up tightly from long side. Seal well. Taper ends. Place seam side down on a greased baking sheet. Brush with mixture of egg white and water. Place sage sprigs on top of loaves. Cover and let rise until nearly double (30 to 45 minutes).

With a sharp knife, make 3 diagonal cuts about 3" deep across tops of loaves. Bake in 450˚ oven for 15 - 20 minutes, or until done. Serve the same day or freeze to store.