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Have you tried to make whole wheat bread but found the results
less than appealing? Perhaps you weren't sure if the loaf should
be eaten or used as a door stop! Don't despair; whole wheat bread
baking success is something you can achieve. Perhaps some of my
tips and hints will get you started on the right path. The
results of your efforts will not only be better nutrition for
your family but it will be something that they will love to eat.
The first thing to consider for successful bread is the type of
wheat you will use. There are basically 2 types of wheat, 'hard'
and 'soft'. Each one is used for baking but only the 'hard' is
used for bread or any baking done with yeast. The 'soft' wheat,
commonly called 'pastry flour' is used for quick breads. If you
are using flour (as apposed to grinding the whole wheat grain),
make sure the package says "Best for Bread" or "Bread Flour" or
something of this nature. For the absolute best quality and
taste, freshly ground wheat is the ideal choice. But when I
started baking I did not have a grinder or access to one and
bought many, many bags of whole wheat flour from the health food
store.
Another secret that I have learned to make a soft textured whole
wheat bread is to add a little gluten flour (this is also
referred to as Vital Wheat Gluten) to the bread. Gluten is a
protein normally found in flour. This helps give your bread
elasticity and helps it to rise much better than it would without
it. If you add gluten flour (usually found in health food stores)
to you bread you will need to add about 2 to 3 T per loaf.
Yeast is another crucial aspect to bread baking. If you don't
bake a lot and then one day discover an older opened jar of yeast
in the cupboard and use it, well you may end up with a baking
failure. Only use fresh yeast as it does have a useful shelf
life. If you buy your yeast in a jar or bag from a warehouse
store (like Costco or Sam's Club), then make sure to store the
opened package in your refrigerator or freezer for best results.
If you are not sure your yeast is working simply test it before
you begin baking. This will save you a lot of frustration and
cost of ingredients. To test your yeast put about cup of nicely
warm water in a bowl and sprinkle about 1 tablespoon of yeast
over this. You can also sprinkle about 1 teaspoon of sugar in as
this will help the yeast. Wait 5 to 10 minutes. By this time the
yeast should be nice and bubbly in the bowl. If it is not, toss
the yeast because it has gotten to old. One last comment on
yeast, if you store it in the freezer make sure to take it out a
few hours ahead of the time you will use it so it can warm up.
Temperature is very important. When you add your liquid (some
recipes call for water others call for milk) to the yeast it must
be warm enough to make the yeast react but not too warm or it
will kill the yeast. So what is the proper temperature for yeast?
It is about 100 to 110 degrees. Cooler temps will cause the bread
to rise very slowly. I don't use a thermometer to test the
temperatures of my yeast. I run the water from the faucet over my
wrist and wait until it feels a little more than comfortably warm
to me. When your bread is rising it also needs to stay warm. Set
it in a draft free area. I let mine rise in the oven. You can
turn your oven on for just a few minutes to slightly warm it,
then turn it off (very important!) when you can feel the first
bit of heat and let your loaves rise in there. If you don't
have a good standard recipe to try then perhaps you would like to
use mine. This is the recipe I always use to make my family's
bread.
Delicious Whole Wheat Bread Recipe
Makes 2 loaves
- 2 cups warm water
- 1 T yeast
- 1/3 cup honey
- 1/3 cup oil
- 2 t. salt
- 1/3 cup gluten
- 5 to 7 cups whole wheat flour, freshly
ground if possible (I use Hard White Wheat)
By Crystal Miller
In a stand up type mixer such as a Kitchen Aid combine water,
yeast and honey. Let this sit for about 5 minutes or until the
yeast is nice and bubbly. Add oil, salt, gluten flour and 3 to 4
cups of whole wheat flour. Knead this with your mixer and
continue to add more flour until the dough does not stick to the
side of the bowl and does not feel sticky to the touch. Knead for
another 7 to 8 minutes.
When dough has finished kneading let it sit in the mixer bowl and
rise until doubled in volume. This usually takes about 45
minutes. When it has finished rising, turn on your mixer and
knead again for a few more minutes to get all the air bubbles
out. Remove from mixer and divide the dough into 2 pieces and
shape into loaves and put in bread pans that have been sprayed
with non-stick cooking spray. Let the loaves rise until they are
about to 1 inch above the rim of the bread pan. Bake at 350 for
approx. 30 minutes or until golden brown.
The last thing I would like to say is that bread baking is an
art. It takes time to get a feel for it, to know when the
ingredients are just right and to know what it takes to have
great success. I have been baking bread for my family for many
years. So I know it is an art that greatly improves with time and
experience!
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