Bread, Bread, Bread, Bread, Bread, Bread

..that is all I've been able to think about the last two weeks! I was asked to teach a class on bread-making for Enrichment last Tuesday. And of course, I couldn't just wing it. So over the last couple of weeks I've turned our kitchen into a bakery! (Kyle and the kids have not complained one bit!) I've made 12 loaves of wheat bread, about 75 rolls, 4 pans of cinnamon rolls, and about 15 small pizza crusts. As soon as I was asked to teach the class, I set to work perfecting my recipes, and I have to say, they all turned out pretty darn good in the end!

A couple of years after Kyle and I were married, my mom gave me a wheat grinder for Christmas. It has been a great kitchen appliance to have! Freshly ground wheat makes all the difference in homemade bread. Plus kernels of wheat seem to last forever, so it's really easy to store.
My mom was by far my best resource for my little class (thank Mom!). I scored big time because she had taught a bread-making class awhile ago, and passed along her information to me. She also let me borrow her cool bread pans and coached me along during my trials and errors. What a great mom I have!

Obviously, we know that wheat is a lot better for you than refined white flour. But the most interesting fact I learned is that it would take eating 150 slices of white bread to equal the nutrition of 1 slice of homemade whole wheat bread. Crazy, huh? That was inspiration enough for me to make bread a little more often. Fortunately, I've made so much lately, I won't have to buy or make bread for another 4 or 5 months! Besides, who doesn't love the smell of freshly baked bread?

Anyway, I thought I'd pass along my information for anyone that is interested.

Whole Wheat Info

“The degree of health we enjoy depends upon the quality of the food we consume. On a diet of soft devitalized food we can expect our bodies to become soft and devoid of vitality. ‘Man is that he might have joy’…There is no joy in poor health!” -Wheat is for the Man p.7

Nutrition: Whole wheat contains 26 minerals and vitamins, plus other trace minerals. White flour has little food value, being highly processed, chemically treated, and stripped of nutritional value. The FDA requires that three B vitamins (thiamin, niacin, and riboflavin) and iron be put back into the flour. It would require 150 slices of white bread to equal the nutrition of one slice of homemade whole wheat bread!

Selection: Hard red, or hard white wheat varieties are best for home storage and bread making. Store hard winter wheat (Turkey Red), hard spring, and other similar varieties. Soft white wheats are usually used in pastries and cookies.

Storage: Store only grade-one wheat, meaning no less than 60 lb. per bushel. Protein content should be 12% or better. Moisture content should be 10% or less. Wheat draws moisture; take precaution to protect it from exposure to high humidity and high temperatures.
Store in a dry place with temperature ranging from 45-65 degrees.
Store ground whole wheat in the refrigerator or freezer, use within 1 week.

Gluten: A naturally-occurring protein found in wheat, rye, barley, & most oat products. Some white flours have more or less than others. Vital wheat gluten only does one thing, it helps improve the rise and texture of bread. With out it you have a rock, door-stop, paper weight. Generally, if you are using white bread flour you don't need to add any. However, all-purpose or whole grain flours need Vital Wheat Gluten. If you have older wheat and your bread doesn’t seem to rise, that probably means the protein content of your wheat has diminished. Try adding extra gluten. Store at room temp until opened, then refrigerate.

The only people who should avoid gluten are children suffering from autism or a wheat allergy. These people are not properly able to break down certain proteins such as gluten.

1 Tablespoon Gluten per cup of wheat flour
Dough Enhancer: Will help make fluffier baked goods, enhance the natural flavor, and increase dough strength and shelf life. It's perfect for breads, pizza dough, cakes, rolls, scones, muffins, and much more. Ingredients: Whey, soy lecithin, Tofu Powder, Citric Acid, Dry yeast, Sea salt, spice blend, cornstarch, ascorbic acid (vitamin C), natural flavor. (You can buy this at www.pleasanthillgrain.com, at Moon's Bookstore in Dallas, or other various sites online.)

1 Tablespoon Dough Enhancer per 4 cups wheat flour

Cooking Tips:
• Use half white flour, half whole wheat for more nutritional value.
• Wheat flour is heavier than white flour and needs more leavening. In yeast breads, use more yeast or let rise longer. If using baking powder, increase by 1 teaspoon for every 3 cups of whole wheat flour. Recipes using baking soda do not need to be adjusted.
• In baked products such as waffles and cakes, which require eggs, separate the eggs and beat whites until stiff. Then fold whites in just before baking.
• Cooked wheat, cracked or whole, can be fried with hamburger and then used in sloppy joes, spaghetti, pizza, or casseroles.
• If wheat sprouts, it still has all nutritional value. Sprout between 2 wet paper towels 3-4 days. If it doesn’t sprout, use in your garden! Sprouted wheat – let dry 1-2 days on paper towels then grind for more nutritional value and sweetness.
• Use lds.org – provident living – food and emergency preparedness.

Recipes

Laura’s Favorite Wheat Bread
Makes approx. 4-5 loaves

Combine and mix in bread-maker or Kitchen Aid (with dough hook):
5 ½ cups hot water
1 ½ Tbsp. salt
½ cup honey
½ cup oil
7 cups whole wheat flour

Add:
3 cups white flour
2 ½ Tbsp. yeast
¼ cup Vital Wheat Gluten
2 ½ Tbsp. Dough Enhancer

Then add 3-4 more cups of wheat flour (it is better to add too little flour than too much) until the dough is the right consistency. (DOUGH WILL BE STICKY!) Mix or knead 10 minutes. Shape and place in bread pans and allow to rise 30 minutes (or until double in size.) Bake at 350° for 30-35 minutes.

Bread Machine Version Makes one 2 lb. loaf

1 ½ cups warm water
½ Tbsp. salt
2 Tbsp. oil
¼ cup honey
1 Tbsp. yeast
½ Tbsp. Gluten
4 cups whole wheat flour (approx.)


Combine all ingredients in bread machine and set to largest loaf setting.

Blender Wheat Pancakes

1 cup wheat kernels (or you can use one cup of wheat flour)
1 cup milk
Blend on high for 2 minutes
*For "crunchier" pancakes, blend less, for smooth pancakes, blend longer.

Add:
2 eggs
½ cup oil
½ cup cottage cheese
Blend together.

Add:
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. baking soda
Blend together and cook on hot oiled griddle.

Wheat Yeast Rolls/Cinnamon Rolls/Pizza Dough
Makes 16 large rolls, 2 pans cinnamon rolls, or 2 pizza crusts

* I usually double this recipe and use half of it for rolls and the other half for cinnamon rolls or pizza dough.

2 cups whole wheat flour
2 to 2 ½ cups white flour
1 Tbsp. active dry yeast (or 1 pkg.)
½ Tbsp. Dough Enhancer
3 tsp. gluten
1 cup milk
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup butter, margarine, or shortening
1 tsp. salt
2 eggs


Combine in large mixing bowl (or Kitchen Aid), 2 cups wheat flour, yeast, dough enhancer, and gluten. In saucepan, heat milk, sugar, butter, and salt until just warm (115°-120°) and butter is almost melted, stirring constantly. Add to flour mixture, add eggs. Beat at low speed for ½ minute, scraping sides of bowl. Beat 3 minutes longer at high speed.

Stir in as much of the remaining flour (white) as you can mix in with a spoon. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead in enough remaining flour to make a moderately stiff dough that is smooth and elastic (6-8 minutes). Shape into ball. Place in lightly greased bowl; turn once to grease surface. Cover; let rise in warm place until double (about 1 hour).

Punch down, divide dough in half. Cover, let rest 10 minutes.

For Dinner Rolls: Shape into desired rolls. Cover. Let rise until nearly double (about 30 minutes). Bake at 375° for 12-15 minutes. Or for brown and serve rolls, bake at 325° for 8-9 minutes (do not brown). Remove from pans; cool. Wrap, label, and freeze. To serve, open packages containing desired number of rolls. Thaw rolls in package at room temp for 10-15 minutes. Unwrap completely. Bake on ungreased baking sheets in 400° oven about 8-10 minutes or until golden. Serve warm.

For Cinnamon Rolls: Roll each half of the dough into a 12x8” rectangle. Melt 3 Tablespoons butter and spread over dough. Combine ½ cup granulated sugar and 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon; sprinkle on top of melted butter. Roll up jelly-roll-style. Pinch edges of dough together to seal firmly. Slice each roll of dough into 12 pieces with thread or floss (a knife will smash the rolls). Cover and let rise until nearly double (about 30 minutes). Bake at 375° for 20-25 minutes. Or for brown and serve cinnamon rolls, bake at 325° for 15-18 minutes (do not brown). Allow to cool in pan, wrap, label, and freeze. To serve, thaw rolls at room temperature. Unwrap completely and bake at 375° for 10-12 minutes. If desired, drizzle with confectioner’s icing: 1 cup sifter powdered sugar, ¼ teaspoon vanilla, and enough milk to make of drizzling consistency.

For Pizza Dough: Spread dough onto 2 greased pizza pans and let raise about 30 minutes. Bake at 400° for 5 minutes. Add pizza toppings and bake for 10 more minutes or until cheese has melted. For brown and serve pizza dough bake at 400° for 5 minutes. Allow to cool. Wrap, label, and freeze. To serve, thaw at room temperature, unwrap completely, add toppings, and bake at 400° for 10 minutes or until cheese has melted.

Whole Wheat Banana Sour Cream Bread
Makes four 7x3” loaves

¾ cup butter
1 ½ cups white sugar
3 eggs
6 very ripe bananas, mashed
1 (16 oz) container low fat sour cream
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon baking soda
4 ½ cups whole wheat flour
2 Tablespoons dough enhancer (optional)
1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

¼ cup white sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 300° Grease four 7x3 inch loaf pans. Dust pans lightly with cinnamon and sugar mixture (last 2 ingredients!).

In large bowl, cream butter and sugar. Mix in eggs, mashed bananas, sour cream, vanilla, and cinnamon. Mix in salt, baking soda, and flour. Stir in nuts. Divide into pans. Bake for 1 hour, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Wheat and Raisin/Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 ½ cups butter or shortening
1 ½ cups firmly packed brown sugar
1 ½ cups white sugar
2 tsp. vanilla
4 eggs
2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
2 ½ cups whole wheat flour
½ tsp. salt
2 tsp. baking soda
2 Tbsp. hot water
1 cup chopped nuts (optional)
1 cup raisins (optional)
1 pkg. chocolate chips (optional)

Preheat oven 350°. Beat butter in large bowl until soft. Gradually add sugars, beating until light and fluffy. Add vanilla. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well. In a separate bowl, blend both kinds of flour and salt. Gradually add flour mixture to sugar mixture, beating at low speed until well mixed.

Dissolve baking soda in hot water and add to sugar/flour mixture. Stir in nuts, raisins, and/or chocolate chips. Bake on greased cookie sheet 350° for 10-12 minutes. Allow to cool.