Making Whole Wheat Bread

If creating a loaf of homemade bread is intimidating or if you feel that it is too time consuming, I’m here to dispel those myths. Making your own bread is nutritious, simple and saves money. A loaf made here on the farm is about $2. An artisan loaf generally costs more than $5. Ingredients can be locally sourced, and you will know what goes into your food. There are no preservatives. We make this recipe every week.

The startup costs if you don’t have a mixer may be intimidating but the years of saving start the day you say, “yes”. I purchased a Bosch Universal for mixing and a Wondermill for grinding wheat and other grains. They are work-horses. You don’t have to grind your own grain; I just choose to. You can purchase the flour already ground. Target, Costco, and any other big box grocery store should have the flour you are looking for. Montana Wheat is our favorite online go to.

For today I used hard white wheat berries. If you purchase the flour, use soft white wheat for bread. There are many other types of grain/wheat depending on what you are baking. Spelt and Kamut are both ancient grains and can be used but the recipe will vary just a bit.

Here is my recipe for Whole Wheat Dough

Blend in mixer:

5 cups hot water

4 tsp. salt

2/3 cup oil

2/3 cup honey

Mix in:

6 cups whole wheat flour

Sprinkle over top:

2 tablespoons or 2 packages active dry yeast

Mix in remaining flour to clear sides of bowl:

5-7 cups whole wheat flour

Knead for 8 minutes. If you are hand kneading, do not tear your dough. Fold in half, turn over and press down and away. Add flour to prevent stickiness.

If you have a mixer, while your kneading is going on, butter and flour your pans. If you are hand kneading, do this step before you start.

Shape, let rise for 30 minutes in a warm place (I use the top of my refrigerator and put a little square of paper towel on top of pans. I save and reuse those another time.), bake at 350 degrees (30-35 minutes until tops are golden brown) and cool 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, remove from pans and cool on cooling racks.

This recipe makes 4 medium loaves. Share a loaf or two or freeze for later enjoyment. From start to finish, this recipe took 45 minutes. In between, I watered plants, folded laundry, and did my dishes. All chores which need to be done anyway.

Give this a try! Your body will thank you and your house will smell fantastic.