whole wheat bread recipe
Last week, I was in the bread aisle, reading ingredient lists and cringing. I stopped buying a certain kind of bread a couple months ago after noticing high fructose corn syrup as the second or third ingredient, and have been opting for "old-fashioned recipe" versions that use honey or sugar. But still, there's a lot of weird, unnecessary ingredients in your everyday loaf of bread.
So today, I finally baked my first loaf of bread from scratch, and I really enjoyed doing it. I've already mentioned once before how hypnotic kneading dough can be, but really, I can't do the process justice in words. This is me, adding simple ingredients together at my own discretion, stirring, blending, forming something that I will eventually eat. I must admit, most of all, how pleasantly surprised I am that the end result turned out so well. It's moist, it's got a solid whole-wheat texture and taste, and it uses ingredients that you probably have on hand right now! You, too, can make your own bread! Yay!
Whole Wheat Bread
4 cups whole wheat flour, plus a little extra for dusting surfaces
1 package (2 1/4 t, or 1/4 ounce, or 7 grams) active dry yeast
1 t salt
3/4 c milk (I used skim, but I'm sure one of several substitutions may be made here)
3/4 c water
2 T safflower oil (or other vegetable oil)
2 T honey
cooking spray or more oil
Stir together the salt and yeast with half of the flour. Heat the liquids in a saucepan to about 125 degrees F (it's helpful to measure the tablespoons of oil first, then the honey won't stick to the spoon! You'd think I'd have known that after all this time) and gradually stir into the flour-yeast mixture. Beat at medium speed for two minutes. Add another 1/2 c flour and beat at high speed for two more minutes, scraping the edges of the bowl as necessary. Stir in remaining flour by hand. Knead on floured surface for six to eight minutes. Place dough into greased bowl and grease the top of the dough before covering with a dish towel, then place in warm, draft-free area for 45-60 minutes, or until dough has doubled in size. Punch dough down and roll out to a 7" x 12" rectangle. Roll dough tightly, from the short side of the dough, like you would a jelly roll. Pinch ends and sides to seal, then place seam-side down into a greased bread pan and grease the top of the dough. Cover once more and return to warm place to let rise for at least another 30 minutes. Bake at 375 degrees F for about 40 minutes. Transfer to wire rack and let cool. Yields one loaf.
So today, I finally baked my first loaf of bread from scratch, and I really enjoyed doing it. I've already mentioned once before how hypnotic kneading dough can be, but really, I can't do the process justice in words. This is me, adding simple ingredients together at my own discretion, stirring, blending, forming something that I will eventually eat. I must admit, most of all, how pleasantly surprised I am that the end result turned out so well. It's moist, it's got a solid whole-wheat texture and taste, and it uses ingredients that you probably have on hand right now! You, too, can make your own bread! Yay!
Whole Wheat Bread
4 cups whole wheat flour, plus a little extra for dusting surfaces
1 package (2 1/4 t, or 1/4 ounce, or 7 grams) active dry yeast
1 t salt
3/4 c milk (I used skim, but I'm sure one of several substitutions may be made here)
3/4 c water
2 T safflower oil (or other vegetable oil)
2 T honey
cooking spray or more oil
Stir together the salt and yeast with half of the flour. Heat the liquids in a saucepan to about 125 degrees F (it's helpful to measure the tablespoons of oil first, then the honey won't stick to the spoon! You'd think I'd have known that after all this time) and gradually stir into the flour-yeast mixture. Beat at medium speed for two minutes. Add another 1/2 c flour and beat at high speed for two more minutes, scraping the edges of the bowl as necessary. Stir in remaining flour by hand. Knead on floured surface for six to eight minutes. Place dough into greased bowl and grease the top of the dough before covering with a dish towel, then place in warm, draft-free area for 45-60 minutes, or until dough has doubled in size. Punch dough down and roll out to a 7" x 12" rectangle. Roll dough tightly, from the short side of the dough, like you would a jelly roll. Pinch ends and sides to seal, then place seam-side down into a greased bread pan and grease the top of the dough. Cover once more and return to warm place to let rise for at least another 30 minutes. Bake at 375 degrees F for about 40 minutes. Transfer to wire rack and let cool. Yields one loaf.