Hello everyone this is Paul. I am not sure if I am allowed to post, but I am anyway. I have a sad, sad story to tell. You see, Kristen and I love to cook; But, neither of us are any good at following a recipe. I think that this may be the reason until now, we have really abstained from the delving deeply into the baking arena. This is no good though, seeing that we really are a bread family. We admire the artisan breads at Kroger (clearance, of course) as though we were in an a (delicious) art gallery, and really want to make our own.
So...a month ago I tried my hand at it. My loaf was much closer to a brick than bread. I even had a book that I had gotten at the library. Apparently, you can't proof your bread in the oven while it pre-heats to 350 degrees (something to do with the yeast being cooked into oblivion).
Flash forward a month or so and Kristen decided to try her hand at it. These bricks weren't as much her fault, as they were the fault of the vague recipe that she found on a blog.
Anyway, here is the challenge: We need someone to tell us how to make bread. We are trying to eat whole wheat, but half wheat/half white would work. Really, anything that won't resemble a brick when we pull it out of the oven. So all you master bakers out there, help!!
I have the best recipe for whole wheat bread. It comes from my sisters mother-in-law who should be a chef. It has wheat gluten and dough enhancer both which help it be light (not like a brick :). Here in Utah you can get them at Maceys. Anyway...e-mail me if you want the recipe!
ReplyDeleteConan just said I should give you the recipe now. So here it is...
ReplyDeleteWHOLE WHEAT BREAD
4 cups warm water
¾ cup honey
⅔ cup oil
1 tablespoon salt
4 tablespoons yeast
1 tablespoon Dough Enhancer
4 tablespoons gluten
8-8 ½ cups whole wheat flour
Add warm water honey and yeast together. Mix and let sit for 10 minutes. Then add salt, oil, dough enhancer, and gluten. Blend. Add 8 cups of wheat flour and watch for dough to pull away from sides of the bowl. Add a Tablespoon of flour at a time towards the end until it no longer sticks to bowl. (Let it mix for quite awhile before you add more flour. You want the dough to be soft but not sticky. As the dough mixes the gluten starts to form and pulls the dough from the sides of the bowl. Don't add extra flour too fast).
Knead dough for 5-10 minutes in mixer. Let rise. Divide the dough into 4 parts and form into loaves. Put into greased bread pans. Let rise again. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.
Like I said before, you can get the dough enhancer and gluten at Maceys here in Utah. You might have to call around and find some where you live. It should be easy to find though.
I make this bread for my family:
ReplyDeleteHoney Whole Wheat Bread
By Rachael Chappell
1 ½ T yeast (or 2 pkgs)
2 t sugar
1 C warm water
1C + 2T Pwdr Milk (or 2-12 oz cans evap milk)
3 ½ C water (1/2 C if using evap milk)
½ melted shortening
½ C honey
4 t salt
1 C quick oats
Optional Additives (makes a little more moist):
1/3 C vital wheat gluten
1/3 C lecithin granules
5 C whole wheat flour
6 C bread flour
2 T dough enhancer (opt)
1. Dissolve yeast and sugar in 1 C warm water.
2. Combine powdered milk, 3 ½ C water, shortening, honey, salt, oats, gluten, lecithin, and 2 C wheat flour in bowl. Add yeast mixture and beat with an electric mixer for 2 min. Let sit for 15 min.
3. Add remaining wheat flour and bread flour 1-2 C at a time. Knead 8 min or until dough comes easily off the hands. Knead in dough enhancer. Place the dough in a greased bowl and turn to coat. Cover and let rise until almost double, about 40 min.
4. Punch down, and divide dough into 4 equal parts. Roll out each part with rolling pin (rolling out the bubbles), then roll up the dough to form loaves, pinching the ends, and place in 4 greased bread pans (grease with shortening or butter, not cooking spray). Let rise for 30 min in warm area (be careful not to over rise).
5. Place a small pan of water on the bottom shelf of the oven. Preheat oven to 375° F.
6. Bake for 25-35 min, or until tops are dark golden brown and internal bread temp is 180°F (Here in Omaha I do 32 min, in Utah I did 28). Opt: butter tops.
Bread making takes practice. It took me two years to finally get a recipe I liked and that Seth put his seal of approval on. It helps to start with a good recipe! This recipe I've tinkered with a bit, but I've stuck with this version for a long time. It holds up well for sandwiches and such. Good luck!
HI! you don't know me but I am Mindy T.'s mom. Whole Wheat bread can be tricky but not to worry.
ReplyDeleteWhen bread turns out to be a brick, it could be a number of different things. My first thought is that you may have put too much flour into it and or not kneaded it enough to get the gluten (that is in the wheat flour itself) worked in.
The wheat that you use could be a factor. Wheat needs to be a very high protein content to make good bread. At least a 13% protein or more in the wheat. 16% would be fabulous, but you might not find it too easily.
White wheat is the cadillac of flour to making whole wheat bread!
Are you using flour that you bought at the store or grinding your own? That could be a factor also. The nutrients and the oils and the wheatgerm in the flour can deteriorate after a certain amount of time. Just hours. So if you grind your own either make just enough for your bread, or freeze the rest and then it will be fresh.
The amount of time in kneading the bread makes a big difference. You are trying to get the gluten from the flour to have the right consistency. Too much kneading destroys the elasticity and makes the bread fall apart, too little doesn't work the gluten enough and it can be like a brick and will also fall apart when you cut it.
Also, if you are kneading the bread on a floured surface, that makes for crumbly bread. Because it isn't white bread, you will need to Knead it on an oiled surface.
Adding wheat flour to the dough -after- you have mixed it and gotten it to have form will cause problems. Wheat flour needs moisture and when you add extra, it drys it out.
Don't let these tips discourage you, I had to learn them the hard way.. And.. I had a wonderful sister who was a chemist when it came to baking and she taught me alot..
Homemade Bread is such a wonderful comfort food and a great Christmas gift!
There are probably many recipes out there that you can use.
But these little tips may help you to make a better loaf.
Good Luck.
Susan
Buy a bread machine.
ReplyDeletePaul, you are clearly not allowed to post! But I've been hearing RAVE reviews about a no-knead bread from the NYT. I'll send you a link.
ReplyDeleteHey guys! I am no expert at bread making but I have found this recipe to be easy and consistently yummy. Best of luck!
ReplyDeletehttp://lisasgoodeatsandtreats.blogspot.com/search/label/Breads%20and%20Rolls
Ok, so here's my favorite... can I just say "I LOVE allrecipes.com" I'm sending you to the link so you can see all the reviews. Try it just how the recipe says, then if you want you can start bumping up the amount of whole wheat versus white. I ended up stopping at about half and half, but it's yummy and simple :) And my bread doesn't have all those oaty things all over it... come on people... simple. http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Simple-Whole-Wheat-Bread/Detail.aspx
ReplyDeleteby the way, here's our recipe blog: http://dinnerdiner.blogspot.com/
ReplyDelete