Bread Baking Basics and a Recipe, too.

Now, I am no bread baking expert.

I know this may come as a shock to some of you.

I was married for almost 9 years before I baked my very first loaf of bread.  No joke.  I was afraid of it.  "Too much work", I thought.  But I was wrong.  Surprisingly enough...it was a lot easier than I imagined it to be (especially if you have a mixer, like I do, that does all the kneading for you). 

In fact, for the past year now, homemade bread has been used almost exclusively in this house.  It took my boys a while to get used to the idea ("No more store bought bread?") but they are quite on board with it now. 

I thought I'd share one of my favorite recipes and some bread making tips (marked with "*"), which have become quite useful in the past year as I have learned and experimented with the "art" of bread making.

Simply Perfect Setpoint Bread

Medium Batch--4 loaves

10-12 cups whole wheat flour *1 (about 7 cups pre-ground whole wheat)
2 tablespoons dry instant yeast *2
1/3 cup high-gluten (80%) flour (optional) *3
1/2 tsp vitamin C powder (300 mg) (optional) *4
4 cups warm water (120 to 130 degrees) *5
1/3 cup vegetable/canola oil
1/3 cup honey or sugar
1 TBSP salt

Place 6 cups whole wheat into mixer bowl equipped with kneading arm.  Add dry yeast, gluten flour , and vitamin C.  Pulse to mix well.  Add water, and mix for 1 minute.  For lighter bread, turn off mixer, cover bowl, and let dough sponge (*6) for 10 minutes.  Add oil, honey or sugar (*7), and salt.  Turn on mixer, and quickly add remaining flour, 1 cup at a time, until dough forms a ball and cleans the sides of the bowl (you should be able to see the bottom of the bowl too).  The amount of flour needed may vary.  Knead 4-6 minutes (*8) in a mixer and 12-15 minutes, at least, if kneading by hand, until dough is smooth and elastic.

Lightly oil hands and counter top.  Divide dough into 4 equal portions. Shape into loaves (*9) and place into greased bread pans.   

Fast Rise:  While shaping dough, preheat oven to lowest setting (at least 150 degrees).  Once oven has preheated and bread is ready to go in turn the power off.  Place bread in oven, arranging pans with space between to allow heat to circulate freely.  Watch closely.  Let rise until almost double in bulk, approx. 20-30 minutes.  Leave bread in over and turn heat to 350 degrees.



Normal rise:
Leave bread in pans, uncovered, on the counter top until double, approx 1 hour (depending on the temp in your house).  Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 30-35 minutes.

 Immediately remove pans; let bread cool on wire racks.  For a soft crust, mist lightly with water from a spray bottle (*9) while still hot.  Or, lather tops in butter or shortening. 

Slice bread when cool.  Store in plastic bags in freezer, not refrigerator.

Tips/Notes:
 *1 Hard white wheat is best if grinding wheat for bread.  To assist in making the transition to 100% whole wheat bread, replace a fourth to half of the whole wheat flour with unbleached white flour.  Gradually increase the ratio as time goes on.

*2  There is a difference between instant yeast (and bread machine) and regular.  Regular yeast has to be cultured in warm liquid before being added into a recipe, instant (and bread machine) does not.
*3 High-gluten flour is a high protein (80%) flour available at most health food stores.  It adds volume and improves texture in whole wheat bread.
*4  Can add 2 TBSP lemon juice (with wet ingredients) instead of vitamin C powder for improved texture).
* 5  For improved texture, add 1 cup buttermilk or yogurt in place of 1 cup of the water.  (you can make your own buttermilk by placing 1 TBSP lemon juice in a 1 C measuring cup and then filling the remainder with milk).
*6  Not a necessary step because recipe calls for instant yeast BUT sponging dough makes lighter bread and reduces kneading time.  This is very important if kneading by hand.
*7 If diabetic or hypoglycemic, or you just want to, you  can substitute a natural sweetener for the honey or sugar, such as 1/2C to 3/4C unsweetened applesauce, or you can use Diastatic malt.
*8  Recipe says 7-10minutes of kneading in a mixer.  I've read that 4-6 is enough.  My mixer has a self kneading button and it only kneaded it for 3min and 27 seconds.  Look for a smooth and elastic (springs back when touched) texture.
*9  Place divided dough on an oiled (not floured) surface and pound dough to get the air out.  Shape into an oval shape and roll around until it reaches the desired length.  Pinch ends together in the center on the underside and place in bread pan.

I hope this helps some of you who are just starting out.  Experiment.  Have fun!

And ENJOY the fruits (warm tasty bread with melty butter and jam on it) of your labors.