Cooking With Your Storage-Homemade Wheat Bread

This past week I attended another class at Honeyville Grain.  It was all about bread making.  I don't think there is anything yummier than fresh bread out of the oven!! I have been trying for a few years (much to my family's amusement) to make a perfect loaf of bread, and I am always looking for better ways to make it.  After this class I made the lightest, softest bread that I have ever made.  Here are a few tips that I learned that may help you bake a better loaf of bread.

• Proof your yeast with the honey and warm (just warmer than warm) water for about 10 minutes.  A dark, warm environment, like a microwave, will help the yeast activate.  I pour these ingredients into my Bosch and put the lid on for 10 minutes.
• Fluff your flour before measuring it.  This way you don't end up with a brick of bread. :)
• Add your salt last after all the ingredients have had time to mix for a minute.
• Adding potato flakes (not potato pearls) protects the air bubbles from popping. I think this is what made my bread so soft and yummy!
• To make dough quick and easy just add all the ingredients to your bread maker and then just shape and bake when the dough cycle ends.  (I have a Bosch, but for those that don't have one this is a great alternative)

This is the recipe that Lisa, the Honeyville store manager, gave me.

Honeyville's Best Ever Whole Wheat Bread

1 1/4 C warm (just warmer than the warm water in your faucet, not hot)
1 T active dry yeast (Saf instant yeast is what was used in this recipe)
1/4 C honey
Proof the above  ingredients for about 10 minutes in a mixing bowl. I proof right in my Bosch bowl.  The yeast should be bubbly (like in the picture above), if not the yeast isn't working. Start over with the warm water and new yeast.

Then Add:
2 3/4 C whole wheat flour (add the last 3/4 C of flour as you are kneading and stop if the dough starts pulling away from the sides of the bowl.  That means you have enough flour.)
1/4 C vital wheat gluten
2 T Non-instant powdered milk (the powdered milk from the cannery or bakers dry milk from Honeyville Grain)
1 T oil
1 T white vinegar
1/4 C potato flakes
1 t salt

After proofing add in the rest of the ingredients, adding in the last 3/4 cup of flour slowly until the dough is not sticking to the walls of the mixer anymore.   Knead for 8 minutes on number 1 on the Bosch mixer.   (on the last minute of kneading I preheat my oven to 170° and turn it off when it reaches temp. This way the oven is just warm enough & not too hot for the dough to rise)


Take the dough out and shape into a loaf while tucking the edges under.  Place in greased loaf pan.  Place in warmed oven and let rise until double. (turning the oven light on will keep the oven warm and keep it a perfect raising temp)  Usually around 30-45 minutes.

When dough has risen a few inches above the top of the pan, turn your oven to 375° with the bread still in the oven.  You don't need to take out the bread while the oven preheats.  Bake for 20-30 minutes and put foil over the bread for the last 15 minutes.  If you tap on the bread and it sounds hollow, it is done.  I mist my bread with water when it comes out to keep the crust soft.  Let it cool for about 5 minutes and then remove to a cooling rack.  I keep it in a plastic bread bag when it has cooled. 


Just try not to eat the whole loaf while it's warm and layered with honey and butter.  I dare you!  I had to make a second loaf so my children could have sandwiches.

**This bread is also delicious baked in the Sun Oven!!  Make sure to preheat your sun oven for at least 20 minutes before baking.  I let the bread rise in my kitchen oven until the dough is just over the top of the pan.  I then mist the bread with water and bake about 30 minutes.  Baking time depends on how warm your sun oven is.  Misting the bread makes it brown in the sun oven, normally bread bakes without browning, so misting makes it brown.  

72-hour kit Goals:
Click HERE to view a wonderful handout on 72-hour kits from plentyofpicnics.blogspot.com  Use the + sign to make the text bigger.


Enjoy the journey!
Enjoy the blessings!
Feel the peace!