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Thursday, July 2, 2009

Q & A Week: Thursday


What is the easiest method you've tried/heard about for making bread. I'm looking to make that transition from buying bread to making it instead (much cheaper!), but I've never done so before. Any other advice for a beginner?

Any of the four recipes I've posted are awesome beginner bread recipes. Each of them will only take a few hours and are very simple. I know, because I'm not a very good baker--so if I can do it, so can you. Sometimes making bread just takes practice. One thing I've learned is that sometimes you need to disregard the recipe at the end. Meaning, once you get to the part of the bread making where you are adding enough flour to finish off the dough---keep adding flour until the dough pulls away from the sides of the mixer and is tacky to the touch, but not sticky. A sure way to have a good loaf of bread.

Whole Wheat Bread in a Mixer I
Whole Wheat Bread in a Mixer II
Whole Wheat Bread by Hand
Whole Wheat Bread in a Bread Machine

I want to know how to make a fluffy loaf of bread from my fresh ground hard red winter wheat. My Mom gave me several bushels when she left her wheat grinder with me and all the bread I've made is so dense.

Two things: One, buy some hard white wheat and when you make bread, use half red wheat and half white wheat. That way you can get through your red wheat, but still have your bread be lighter. Or you can buy some dough enhancer and mix it in when you make bread. Or both! I've discovered that with my recipes I can use only red wheat and my family will eat it just fine. But we've been eating whole wheat bread for a long time and my family is used to it.

What do you know about white whole wheat? I've heard it had many of the nutrients as whole wheat, but a lighter texture and flavor like white. Is this too good to be true?

From what I researched, there isn't a nutritional difference in red and white wheat. Check out this awesome post for more information on the differences of red and white. Seriously, they've baked red wheat and white wheat bread alongside each other to examine the differences. Very cool.

Do you have an easy (and good tasting) bread recipe for a bread making beginner?

Ummm....see above answer. And stay tuned because I've just discovered a delicious white bread recipes. Seriously, I'm giddy with excitement.


Do you know of a good multi-grain bread recipe? I've been making the awesome whole wheat bread instead of buying bread lately, but my husband wants to try a multi-grain bread.

No, but I'll be on the lookout for one. I do love a good multi-grain bread toasted for breakfast.

2 comments:

Cecily said...

I don't know if anyone worries about this, but my mom's experience with turning wheat gluten into meatless protein product (jerky, patties, etc.) works much better with red wheat. For this reason (and the slightly higher protein count), she encourages us to only purchase the red wheat for long term storage.

Anonymous said...

Or purchase a combination of white and red since white is better in other things.