Happy Birthday to Me and a Bread Recipe

I’m sounding my own trumpet today, on the last day of summer and the day of my birth. I took the day off, partially because it’s my birthday and partially because this damned tooth still hurts like heck. I even wimped out and filled my prescription of Tylenol 3 just so that I could sleep.

Apart from the pain, today has been nice. I stopped off at [Nature’s Bin](http://www.cornucopia-inc.org/index.html) on my way back from dropping the husband and child at work and daycare. The goal was to get whole wheat flour and the rest of the fixings to make some whole wheat bread. Normally I would go to Trader Joe’s, but Nature’s Bin is closer to West Park and it’s a locally based store, so I feel better about spending my money there.

Man, I could have bought out the store. I forgot how nice Nature’s Bin is! The deli had all sorts of delicious food, so I bought lunch there to take home for later. They had all sorts of health and beauty items, which I was really tempted to buy but resisted, namely because I promised D that I would keep the bill low. I splurged and got some organic honey, since the honey my boss gave me is pretty much gone (he raises his own bees). I took everything home, cleaned up the kitchen and got to work.

I thought I’d use the bread maker, but there’s just something so satisfying about making bread by hand that the idea of the whirring and beeping of my lovely bread maker can’t provide. I used the recipe on the bag of flour, with my own modifications to make the bread even better. It’s nice to actually know how to make a successful loaf after so many years of jaw-breaking “doorstop” loaves that I actually change most bread recipes to include the methods I’ve found successful.

Here’s the recipe for the bread, and some advice on testing the outcome and storage.

Whole Wheat Bread

  • 4 to 5 cups whole wheat flour
  • 1 Tbsp. active dry yeast t (1 packet of yeast)
  • 1 ¾ cup warm water (110° if you’re anal-retentive)
  • 2 Tbsp nonfat dry milk
  • 1 Tsp sea salt
  • 2 Tbsp honey or molasses
  • 2 Tbsp vegetable oil
  • 7 ½ teaspoons wheat gluten
  • 2 Tbsp sugar

Pour ½ cup of water into a small bowl, sprinkle yeast and sugar into water. Wait five minutes or so, when the yeast starts to form a bubbly “sponge.” Combine the yeast combination with the remaining water in a large bowl, adding the milk, honey, oil and salt.

Mix the gluten with the flour, then add two cups of the gluten/flour mixture to the liquid ingredients in the large bowl. Stir, adding more of the flour/gluten mix gradually until the dough starts pulling away from the sides of the bowl.

Empty the dough onto a floured surface and begin to knead for five to seven minutes or until the dough is smooth, adding more of the flour/gluten mix as you knead. When you’re done kneading, shape the dough into a round loaf or place into an oiled bread pan (I used pam… does that make me a bad person?). Cover with a slightly damp cloth and allow to rise to double its original size in a warm place.

Heat the oven to 350°, when bread has risen, brush beaten egg white (to brown the crust) and a little bit of honey (because it tastes good). Then put in the oven to bake at 350° for 45 minutes.

When you take the bread out, I highly advise that you test it by slicing off a piece and drizzling it with honey, consuming it while still warm. If you plan on freezing bread for later, let it cool down to room temperature, then bag it and leave it at room temperature for 24 hours before you freeze it.

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Published:
9.21.05 / 3pm
Category:
Food & Cooking, Life, Recipes