i've never made bread from scratch before. seems like a good way to start out the blog and really try something new. oh sure i've "helped" to make bread as a kid, when my parents used a bread maker thingy, but i really wanted to try making it by hand.
so i cheated a little and used my handy dandy kitchenaid mixer...but at least i rolled out the loafs and formed them myself!
i took this recipe out of the instruction/recipe booklet that came with the kitchenaid mixer my mom gave me for christmas last year.
i was a little afraid it would be terrible, or just kind of okay (and maybe not worth the time investment), but it is AMAZING! i gave a piece to matt when he walked in the door from work, and while his mouth was still full of the first bite he said something to the effect of, "this is so good, you have to make it all the time." (it was a little difficult to understand him while he was talking and chewing it haha)
so i think we have decided that we are going to make this bread frequently and cut back on buying bread from the grocery store. i love that it only has 7 ingredients, and the mixer did all the messy work of combining and kneading the ingredients for me.
the recipe is super easy, the only time consuming part is waiting the two separate hours for it to rise, but i was able to prep and make dinner while i was waiting during those steps.
Ingredients:
1/3 cup brown sugar, plus 1 tablespoon for the yeast
2 cups warm water (105 to 115 degrees F)
2 packages active dry yeast
5 to 6 cups whole wheat flour
3/4 cup powdered milk
2 teaspoons salt
1/3 cup oil
Directions:
Dissolve 1 tablespoon brown sugar in warm water in a small
bowl. Add yeast and let mixture stand.
Place 4 cups of flour, powdered milk, remaining brown sugar,
and salt in mixer bowl. Attach bowl and dough hook to mixer. Turn to speed 2
and mix about 15 seconds. Continuing on speed 2, gradually add yeast mixture
and oil to flour mixture, and mix about 90 seconds longer. Stop and scrape bowl
if necessary.
Continuing on speed 2, add remaining flour a half cup at a
time, and mix until dough clings to hook and cleans sides of bowl, about 2
minutes. (Dough may not form a ball on the hook. However, as long as hook comes
in contact with dough, kneading will be accomplished. Do not add more than the
maximum amount of flour or a dry loaf will result.) Knead on speed 2 about 2
minutes longer.
Place dough in greased bowl, turning to grease the top.
Cover and let rise in warm place about 1 hour, or doubled in bulk.
Punch dough down and divide in half. Shape each half into a
loaf as directed below. Place in greased loaf pans. Cover and let rise in a
warm place about 1 hour, or doubled in bulk.
Uncover loaf pans and place in a preheated 400 degree oven
for 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees and bake 30 minutes
longer. Remove from pans immediately and cool on wire racks.
**Shaping a loaf: Divide the dough in two equal parts. On a lightly floured
surface, roll each half into a rectangle, about 9x14 inches. A rolling pin will
smooth the dough and remove the bubbles.
Starting at a short end, roll the dough tightly (pretty much
like a cinnamon roll) and pinch to seal the seam. Pinch the ends and tuck them
under, setting the dough seam side down in your greased loaf pans.***
The recipe even gave estimated nutritional info:
If each loaf is cut into 16 slices, 32 slices total. Each serving is about 112 calories, 4g protein, 19g carbs, 3g fat, 2mg cholesterol, 146mg sodium.