Bread

I've been asked often to share my bread recipe, so rather than retyping an email or fb message every time someone asks, I'll share it here. :) 

It's adapted from Megan's @ myfoodstoragecookbook

My personal changes include both methods and grain ingredients.  What's amazing about Megan's is she has instructions for not just conventional oven, but sun oven baking.  

My changes are based on our families needs and tastes.  With 3 young special needs kids that have texture issues, I have to make bread that feels like homemade white bread, but has the nutrients of whole grain.

This bread is very versatile.  Everything I've made with it has turned out super, it even works for hot pockets.

It makes 3 large loaves.  

(I forgot the salt in the pic, but really, everyone knows what a salt canister looks like. ;)

Ingredients:

1/4 cup vital wheat gluten

2 well rounded TBS rapid rise yeast

1 (12oz) can evaporated milk

1/2 cup canola oil

1/2 cup honey (I used powder, can use either)

(can also substitute for 1/3 cup sugar or brown sugar)

1 TBS salt

3 TBS dough enhancer

5 cups whole white wheat flour

4 cups whole red wheat flour

1 cup oat flour

3 cups hot water 120-130 degrees

(can do any combo of wheat and other grain as long as most of it is one or both wheat)

My pans are the large Norpro bread pans.

 This amount of cups with the oat groats will fill your mill container, because oats take up more volume.

I gather and measure all my ingredients while milling the grains.  The yeast, and wheat gluten in my Bosch mixer; and the rest of the dry ingredients in a bowl to set aside.

As soon as my grain is milled into fresh flour, I measure out about 4 cups and add it to the mixer.

Then I add the water.  It's really important to make sure the temp is correct so the yeast will activate without killing it. 

Put the lid on and mix on low speed for less than a minute- just enough to get everything wet. Then let it set for 10 mins.  This is called sponging.  It reduces the amount of raises you need.  It saves me in total bread time and makes shaping the bread easier.

Then add what's in the bowl, the milk, and the oil, and a little more flour.  Mix.

Then slowly add the rest of the flour until the dough lifts from the sides of the mixing bowl.  Depending on the humidity or lack of, you may have left over flour.  This is fine, it's important not to make the dough too dry.

Knead for 10mins.

You can do a gluten strength test if you're not familiar with the look of ready dough yet.  This is done by pulling out a small amount, rolling it in your hand to make a ball, and then pulling it into a flat square.  If there are no holes, your dough is ready.

Then I pull it out into a large bowl, punch it down, and divide it by 3 by squeezing it off.  I always just estimate it, weighing is too tedious. :)  Once I have the dough divided as even as I can, I put it in the greased pans.  They are nonstick, but I still grease them... trust me on this one.  They glide out so easy, no tapping etc. 

Push the dough into the pans, forming it as well as you can.  I put a light coat of oil on top so it doesn't dry out as it's rising.

Then I put them in the oven and turn it on just for about 30secs.  Enough to make it nice and warm in there like a hot summer day.  I let mine rise pretty high.  To just about where I want it to be, but not quite.  It usually takes about 45mins for mine.

Then turn the oven on to 350 and set the timer for 28-30mins.

When there's about 12mins left, carefully put foil, shiny side down, on top of your loaves.  This will prevent the bread from getting really dark on top, while insuring the inside is baked completely.

I take mine out and cool them on cooling racks, after topping them with butter.

My family loves this bread.  We haven't found anything store bought anywhere near it for softness and moistness with that homemade, whole grain taste.  And it's way cheaper anyway. :)