11/1/09
Whole Wheat Bread
I've always wanted to be a great bread baker. Alas, my attempts over the years have never been quite earning of the "great bread baker" title. My loaves always turned out a little bit off. Well, I got a Bosch mixer a few weeks ago so I've been experimenting. The first batch was too heavy, the second batch was a bit lighter but still no dice, the third batch was just right. Hooray for me and the wonderful Bosch mixer! Here is the recipe that turned out just right for me.
WHOLE WHEAT BREAD
8+ C fresh ground whole wheat flour, to start with (10-11 C of wheat will mill enough flour for this recipe)
1/3 C vital wheat gluten
1/2 C potato flour
1/2 C powdered milk or buttermilk
4 T dough enhancer
5 T SAF instant yeast
2 T sea salt
1 C canola oil
2/3 C honey or xagave
6 C warm water (approximately 115 degrees)
In Bosch mixer with dough hook, sift dry ingredients together on speed 1 for 1 minute. Add warm water, oil, and honey. Mix on speed 1 and add wheat flour until the dough pulls cleanly away from the sides and bottom of the bowl. Be careful not to add too much flour. Dough should be sticky.
Knead on speed 2 for 8 minutes. Check the consistency of the dough. If the dough is too sticky, add some white flour to soak up the moisture. If it's too dry add a dew tablespoons of water. Mix for another 2 minutes. Check the dough again. If it feels right you need to check if the gluten has developed. Do this by grabbing a small ball of dough, flattening it in between your slightly oiled palms, and pulling the dough to see if it makes an elastic window. It should not tear holes but stretch. If dough is ready turn oven on to 200 degrees.
Place dough on a lightly oiled surface. Divide dough into 4-5 equal pieces, depending on how much you yielded. Roll and shape loaves. Place in sprayed, non-stick bread pans, 8.5" x 4.5" size. (I also like to divide one of the dough pieces and form 4 little loaves, the 5.5" x 3" size, they're the perfect size for little children). Turn the oven off and place the loaves into the oven to proof. Let them rise for 20-30 minutes of until each loaf has risen about 2 inches above the top of the pan.
Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes or until the internal temperature of the bread is 200 degrees. Serve warm or cool on a rack. If the bread is completely cooled you can place it in freezer bags and freeze it for up to 30 days. Enjoy!
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