Hot bread for a cold, rainy day

I am excited to finally try out this blog I have had set up for a year, but wasn't sure how to use. Thanks to a friend who spent the morning helping me design and giving me instructions, I think I am now ready to embark on this new adventure of "blogging." Obviously, I still have some tweaking to do, but I am excited to get my first real blog posted, so the rest will be a work in progress.

We thought Spring was finally here, but after a couple days of sunshine, it was rainy again today...a perfect day to bake fresh, homemade wheat bread.

Here's the recipe:

6 cups water (if you are grinding the wheat fresh, use cool to lukewarm water.) Otherwise, use very warm water...but not hot)

1 tablespoon salt

1/4 cup oil or lecithin (this is thick like honey and I never measure, just pour until it looks like the right amount. It is really hard to wash off your utensils. But it is a lot healthier than oil)

1/2 cup honey

3 tablespoons gluten (optional, but I think it makes a difference in the texture)

3 tablespoons dough enhancer (optional, but I think it makes a diffeence in the quality)

3 tablespoons yeast

16 cups whole wheat flour, preferrable fresh ground

Grind about 12 cups of hard white wheat. I have to grind it in 2 batches.

Add water, salt, oil or lecithin, honey, gluten, dough enhancer and 8 cups of freshly ground wheat that is still warm in large mixing bowl. (If you are not using fresh, warm flour, add yeast and remaining flour right now.) I have a Bosch mixer that I use with a larger stainless steel bowl. Sprinkle yeast over the top of the flour.

Then add remaining 8 cups of flour on top of yeast. Turn on mixer and mix until ingredients are mixed well.

Check consistency of dough by lightly pinching a clump between fingers. It should be soft, but not stick to your fingers. For the past couple months when I have made it and measured exact cups of flour, I haven't had to add more...it has been just right.

Knead in mixer for 6 minutes. Pull a section of dough with both hands and carefully spread it out. It should be slightly elasctic and pull apart without tearing. If it comes apart as soon as you pick it up, it needs to be kneaded a little longer. You don't want to over knead it either, so only knead for 30 seconds at a time until it is right.



Spray 4 or 5 bread pans with cooking spray. For large loaves use 4 or smaller loaves use 5. Also spray a small section of the counter where you will be forming the loaves.

Divide dough into 4 or 5 sections.

For each loaf, roll dough lightly to form a rectangle a little wider than the width of the pan.

Fold top and bottom into meet at the center.




Fold in half, placing seam down. Even sides with hands, folding any excess dough under. Place in pan and spray top of dough.

Cover loaves with dishtowel and let raise for about 30 minutes or until doubled in size. Do not over raise or the loaves will sink in when baked.

Place loaves in oven and set temperature to 350. Bake for 25 minutes. Loaves will raise more as the temperature increases.

Remove from oven and immediately spread butter over the tops. Let sit in pans for 5 minutes and they will fall out of the pan. Cut one loaf in thick pieces while hot, spread with butter and jam and ENJOY!

Store the other loaves in plastic bags. This freezes really well. I usually keep one loaf out at a time, pulling them from the freezer as needed.