Tips For Making Homemade Bread

There is nothing like homemade bread. Whether banana, pumpkin, white or whole wheat, the smell of a fresh, hot loaf can't be beat.

There are many reasons why you would want to make your own bread. If you have good pumpkin bread recipes or banana bread recipes, you can make a nice dessert or have a quick snack for the kids on hand at all times.

Baking your own white or wheat bread can help you save money on your grocery bill. Eating whole wheat bread will keep you healthier and may even help you lose weight.

You may want to consider supplying your family with homemade wheat bread all the time. The health benefits are many, especially if you are going to use fresh ground wheat. Eating a slice of bread made with fresh ground wheat is like taking a shot of vitamins.

What Is Wheat And Why Would You Want To Use It?

Wheat is the world's most important grain crop and ranks first among the grains for its nutritional value. When used in its entirety, wheat is an excellent source of fiber and many critical B-vitamins. Wheat germ is one of the richest sources of vitamin E if used when freshly milled, before oxidation takes place.

The richest source of Vitamin E is found in the germ of the wheat kernel. Milled wheat loses its Vitamin E very quickly due to oxidization. This is the reason why the bread we buy really has nothing of value for us. It has been stripped of the vitamins provided in the wheat. Within about 72 hours of milling, 90% of over 30 nutrients are gone.

Families usually enjoy better health once they start baking bread with fresh ground wheat including significant improvements in sinus conditions, runny noses and colds. There have also been reports of reduced cholesterol counts, warts disappearing, acne clearing and a host of other wonderful benefits. Of course there are the obvious benefits of adding more fiber to your diet, but remember to drink a lot of water when you increase fiber.

Types of Wheat

There are two basic categories of wheat:
1. Hard wheat -
High gluten content makes it good for bread.

2. Soft wheat -
Low gluten, good for cakes, cookies or pastries, not good for bread.

There are varieties of wheat:
1. Red -
Much more flavorful, gives a hearty, full flavor for bread.

2. White -
Softer flavor, some people prefer this for pizza crust or filled breads.

3. Spelt and Kamut -
Ancient wheat varieties than can often be tolerated by people with wheat allergies.
Spelt has a flavor similar to red wheat, Kamut is mild.

Bread Making Tips & Tricks

#1 - Do not use a pan that measures wider than 5" across.
Why? You ask. Because all the cute little gluten people that come in your freshly ground flour cannot streeeeetch all the way across a pan that is larger the 5" wide. This means that it LOOKS like it has risen to a beautiful full loaf, but the minute you close that oven door, WHAMO! The gluten people just can't deal with it and the loaf falls. A FALLEN LOAF CANNOT BE RESCUED. Yes, you can eat it, but it is annoying.

#2 - Hot water = dead yeast. Warm water = happy yeast.
Do not kill the yeast! If your water is too hot, you will kill the yeast and the bread will not rise, not even one itsy bit.

#3 - Sponging is Fun
Do you think making your own bread will take hours? No, no, no! Because of a neat trick called sponging, I make my bread start to finish in 1 1/2 hours. Sponging is where you mix the water, yeast, gluten (optional), oil, sugar and PART of the flour and let it set for ¼ to ½ hour. This will result in a bubbly mixture. Then you add the rest of the flour.

Alternatives To Refined Sugar
There are many delicious alternatives to using sugar and many reasons why you may want to consider avoiding the use of refined white sugar. If this subject interests you, do research on sugar promoting the growth of disease, production of adrenaline and hyperactivity it causes in children. Try the following:

Honey - oh my, so many to choose from, did you realize that? Wild flower, Gallberry, Orange Blossom, Clover, Sage, Tupelo; these are all types of honey! I use Clover because it is light and sweet. I haven't had a lot of experience with the other types of honey so I don't have a lot to offer for advice there.

Sucanat -this is a sweetener made from the juice of the sugar cane. It has a rich, molasses flavor and is not as sweet as white sugar. It is an excellent substitute for white sugar and can be used 1:1.

Recipe For Homemade Whole Wheat Bread

In bowl:
6 C hot water (92 - 100°, if you are using fresh ground flour that is still warm from the grinding, the temperature of the water can be a little lower)
1/3 C canola or olive oil
1/3 C honey
2 Tbsp instant yeast
1/4 - 1/3 C pure gluten (this is optional, but will make a nicer texture)
6 C whole wheat flour

Mix together: Let sponge for 10-15 minutes till bubbly.
Add:
1 1/2 Tbsp salt
Enough flour to clean sides of bowl. This will probably be about 6 - 7 cups for a total of 13 - 14 cups altogether.

Knead for 5 - 6 minutes with a machine or 8 - 10 minutes depending on type of flour used.
If you are kneading by hand you really need to knead for at least 10 minutes, sorry :-(

Place in:
5 or 6 medium pans and let rise until double.
Bake 25 - 30 minutes at 350°

This dough can also be used for pizza and homemade garlic bread, yum!

Bread Machines
Even the top rated bread machines are not appropriate for hand kneading whole wheat. It is best to knead your dough by hand or you may want to consider investing in a good machine such as a Bosch Universal mixer. If you have a large family, this machine is excellent because it can handle enough dough to make five loaves at one time.

Wheat, Yeast, Oil, Honey, Salt

And most of all, bon appetit!