I have made hundreds of loaves of whole wheat bread over the years, and the ingredients/directions are tattooed on my brain – or so I thought until this morning. We were running out of bread so I decided to make some more.
Easy peasy, as my kids used to say. Out came the yeast, water, sugar, flour and
all the other ingredients I keep on hand just for bread-making. At least a decade ago I stopped looking at
the recipe because I knew it by heart.
I mixed up everything in my KitchenAid classic stand mixer
and put it in a large bowl for 90 minutes to rise. Only when I removed the tea towel covering
the now-risen dough did I notice something odd.
It looked too smooth. Then I realized
why. I had been working on autopilot,
and I forgot to put in the quick oats.
I’d started adding oats to the recipe some years ago when
food and health writers began praising their goodness. Oats don’t add much to the bread’s taste, but
I liked the texture and somehow I felt healthier.
I wasn’t about to throw out the dough and start over, so
I added the oats late. It took quite a
bit of kneading, but I managed to get them spread through the dough.
Luckily this bread recipe is very forgiving. Over the years I have added ground flax seed,
cracked wheat and cornmeal. I do have a
confession. This bread tastes best when
toasted, so that’s how we eat it.
Mom’s Whole Wheat Bread – makes 2 loaves
2 packets or 2 tablespoons active dry yeast
3 cups warm water (approximately) – divided use
3 tablespoons brown sugar
5 cups white flour (approximately)
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup cornmeal
1 cup quick oats
1/4 cup ground flaxseed
1/4 cup wheat germ
3 tablespoons canola oil + more for greasing + bowl and bread pans
1 tablespoon salt
Using a stand mixer with a dough hook:
Add the yeast to the machine’s mixing bowl, along with 1/4 cup warm (not hot) water and brown sugar. The yeast should immediately dissolve in the water and become frothy.
Then add the white flour, whole wheat flour, cornmeal, oats, ground flaxseed, wheat germ, canola oil, salt and remaining water. Turn on the mixer and let the dough hook mix the dough.
After a few minutes, if the dough seems too sticky add 1 tablespoon white flour and keep mixing. If the dough is still sticky, add another tablespoon flour and continue mixing and adding more flour until the dough is moist and smooth, not stiff and dry. If the dough is too dry, add water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until it regains its moisture and smoothness.
Put 1 teaspoon oil in the bottom of a large bowl, place the ball of dough on the oil and then turn it over. Cover with a tea towel and let rise on the counter, away from drafts, for 1½ hours. While the dough is rising, prepare the bread pans by putting 1 teaspoon oil in each pan and spreading it onto the bottom and sides with a paper towel. Add 1 teaspoon flour to each pan and shake the pan to spread it over the bottom and sides.
When the dough has risen and is about double in size, cut it in half. Knead each half on the counter briefly and place it into the pans. Cover with a tea towel and let rise on the counter for 45 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and bake the bread for about 34 minutes. Remove from the oven and tip the baked bread out of the pan onto a cooling rack. Thump the bottom with your finger and thumb to make sure it has a hollow sound. If it doesn’t, bake for another 2 minutes and test again.
When cool, wrap each loaf in plastic or foil and store in the fridge.
If you are mixing by hand, add the yeast, 1/4 cup water and brown sugar to a large bowl and make sure the mixture becomes frothy. Then add the rest of the ingredients and mix thoroughly with a large wooden spoon. When the dough has come together into a ball, add more water or more flour, if necessary (as described above). When it is the right consistency, knead it for 8-10 minutes. Kneading means folding the dough over on itself and pushing it continually until it becomes smooth and shiny. Place it in the oiled bowl and let it rise for 1½ hours, as described above. Then continue with the recipe, as above.
No comments:
Post a Comment