Now. Don't crucify me if you are totally organic and natural when I tell you how I currently make bread. I reiterate the fact that I am a fan of baby steps, and that I want to teach people how to work their way toward a more healthy lifestyle without making them so overwhelmed that they lose their minds. I have recently been studying the benefits of sprouted grains, grinding your own flour, and using wild, live yeast. I definitely plan to try these methods very soon. But I'm not quite there yet. I'm still in the process of switching us over completely to whole grains and eliminating the ingredients that frighten me the most.
I've tried many bread recipes, and yeast roll recipes...in fact this is my favorite yeast roll recipe to date. I recently signed up for a meal planning program (that I absolutely love, so far, by the way) and lo and behold, the very first sample recipe was a recipe for whole wheat bread! I had all of the ingredients on hand so I figured, why not? It turned out great! I decided to make it again yesterday, but I made enough this time to share with my neighbors (hey, one of my neighbors gave us a lawnmower yesterday, it PAYS to be kind to your neighbors!) I just thought I would share the recipe and some pointers with you guys today, because this bread was MEGA easy to make. I guarantee you can do it!
First of all, here's the basic recipe...I have also linked it for you in the previous paragraph. I made a few small changes that I will explain as we go.
Now you're going to add the rest of your ingredients. I used the bread dough hook of my kitchen aid mixer and just let it mix on the lowest speed while I added the other ingredients. Here's what I added...
First of all, I used local, raw honey (because it doesn't get any better than that.) If you can't get local, I definitely recommend using organic, raw honey. This is a great option at a fantastic price.
Next, I try to avoid canola and vegetable oil any time I can, so I used this Organic Olive Oil. I have also used butter in bread recipes in the past, the taste is delicious but in my opinion, using oil gives the bread a smoother texture that is easier to slice.
I added a whole tablespoon of salt...this is a personal preference...you can stick to the recipe if you prefer.
I also did not have the dough enhancer or the wheat gluten, so I left them out.
Slowly, add the flour one cup at a time. You need to add flour until the dough pulls away from the bowl and the bowl is basically clean. I only needed 4 more cups, for a total of 6, but I also add a tiny bit more when I'm kneading it. You will get the hang of this once you've tried it. Once I have all of my flour in, I turn the mixer up and let it go for a minute or so...this gives you a head start on kneading. If you have a really strong mixer, you can actually let the mixer do the kneading for you, and just mix for 7 more minutes or so, but my poor mixer is on the verge of retirement, so bread dough puts quite a strain on it. Plus, my arms need the workout;)
Next, you will need to turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. This is when you can add a tiny bit of flour if your dough feels too sticky. You want a soft, stretchy texture, but you need it to be dry enough that it doesn't stick to your hands as you knead it. I actually love this part. Kneading bread by hand makes me feel powerful and strong (think Superwoman) and I love the feel of the dough under my hands. I have always thought of bread dough as being "alive" in a sense, and I really enjoy working with it. Treat it like you would treat your friend. Be gentle, especially with whole wheat flour, as the wheat is fragile and you will actually break the grains if you are too harsh with your kneading. (No punching;) I usually just take a look at the clock and then gently but firmly knead the dough for 7-10 minutes.
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