OK, so I have been wanting to do this forever but I finally got up enough nerve to try it. I went to my moms and stole her wheat grinder so I could make homemade whole wheat bread with fresh ground wheat. It has taken me about 3 #10 cans of wheat through trial and error and a few different recipes to find a bread we all love. I have told many people about my attempts at this endeavor and almost everyone has said..."I want to learn how to do that will you show me?" So here it is...This is the recipe a gal in my ward uses and she make bread almost every day. I took pictures so you guys would get a better idea of how it goes. Sorry for the over abundance of pictures, I'm sure you all know how to spray a pan with Pam but hey, I'm a photographer, it's what I do!!
Start with Whole Red Wheat {Food storage people}
Then put it in your stolen wheat grinder{You know your mom never uses hers, mine actually still had the paperwork with it bought in 1976...it's older than me!!} And GRIND AWAY
I use mine on the finest setting it will do and it looks about like this when done
3 1/2 cups of grain makes about 4 cups of flour
With flat beater (KitchenAid) or dough hook (Bosch) blend together ww flour, sugar and yeast.
Add warm water*and mix on medium high for 8 minutes.
You will notice a change in color as it mixes, it will get significantly lighter. If you want to do 100% whole wheat bread add vital wheat gluten or some kind of acid (3 tbls lemon juice or vinegar, or a crushed vitamin c tablet) at this step.
Let sponge (that's baker talk for letting it sit for a while). You will see a lot of bubbling and the mixture will rise quite rapidly. At some point (30-60 mins.) it will reach a maximum height and fall in on itself.
Turn mixer back on for about 1 minute. Replace flat beater with dough hook. With mixer on speed 2 slowly sprinkle in the salt.Salt retards the growth of the yeast and needs to be well distributed so that your dough will rise evenly.
You can also add two tablespoons of oil at this point which will make your bread stay fresh longer.
Then add white** (or wheat) flour slowly.
I also found if you add a little dough enhancer, it is fluffier and last a bit longer.
When the dough forms a ball and stops clinging to the sides while the mixer is running you have enough flour. The dough will still be wet and might stick when you stop the mixer. That's okay. But you don't want it too sticky or you may get tunnels or a loaf that falls. Poke it with your finger. It should feel sticky but the dough should not stick to your finger when you pull away.
Knead dough with mixer on speed 2 (KitchenAid) or lowest speed (Bosch) for about 10 minutes.If you are kneading by hand it will take much longer. One place I looked at said as much as 30 minutes by hand. You will be able to see the bread becoming more elastic as it is kneaded. When it is done it will look smooth.
While your machine is doing the kneading prepare you pans by spraying them with nonstick spray
Turn dough onto lighly floured surface and smooth.
Use a knife to divide in two and shape into two loafs. The dough should be very elastic and easy to make into a smooth loaf. If the surface looks rough or tears you have not kneaded enough.
Shape into 2 loaves
Place each loaf in a greased 9x5 pan
Cover with plastic wrap, but spray the plastic with nonstick spray so it won't stick to your dough.
Let rise for one hour. Let rise until the loaves look like you think a loaf of bread should look when it is done. They won't really rise much at all in the oven.
Place the loaves in a cold oven. Turn the oven on to 350 and set the timer for 22 minutes. When the timer goes off, turn the oven off and leave the loaves in for 10-15 more minutes. Your bread should be just barely done and have a nice soft crust. Every oven is different so you may have to experiment to get it just the way you like it.
Remove bread from pans and let cool.
But before it gets too cool slice off a piece
Butter it
And ENJOY!!
Terry told me we were going to get fat eating all this delicious bread but I said nope, the Lord will bless us for using our food storage and we won't get fat!!
Here is the recipe for those of you who want to give it a shot, let me know how it goes!!
Elizabeth’s Light Wheat Bread
4 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 cup white sugar
1 tablespoon yeast
3 1/2 cups warm water
1 tablespoon salt
3 cups white or bread flour
1. Blend together whole wheat flour, sugar, yeast and water. Mix on medium high for 8 minutes. Let rest for 1 hour.
2. Add salt and then white flour, knead on low speed for 10 minutes.
3. Shape bread into two loaves and place in greased 9x5 pans. Let rise for one hour.
4. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes.
