Foolproof Bread

A couple of you have asked for my bread recipe. It is one of the easiest and yummiest recipes I know of for whole wheat bread (or rolls or bread sticks or pizza dough or cinnimin rolls). I have a Bosch Universal mixer and can make five loaves at a time. It cost about $2.50 for the whole five loaves. If I have my wheat already ground into flour, I can do it, start to finish, in an hour and a half--roughly 15 minutes of actual work time, 10 minutes of kneading in the mixer, 5 minutes to put dough in pans, 30 minutes to rise, 30 minutes to cook.

I think two things are key to a moist bread: (1) use half apple sauce, half oil and (2) try to use fresh (or as recently as possible) ground flour. Take several cups of wheat berries (the unground stuff you get from the cannery or, if you live in Utah, the grocery store) to a friends house and borrow her wheat grinder and then store it in your freezer to keep it fresh. I have a Nutrimill wheat grinder, also made by Bosch, in which I am happy to grind wheat for anyone who lives near by.

In the recipe below I have listed two measurements for the ingredients. The first is from the original recipe, intended for a large (6 qt.) mixer. The second is for a smaller mixer (like a basic Kitchen Aid) that will make 2-3 loaves. If it is confusing I have a Word document with a nice table I can email to you. Just leave a post for me.

RECIPE INGREDIENTS

Warm Water: 6 c or 3 cups
Salt: 2 T or 1 T
Oil/Apple Sauce: ¼ cup each oil and apple sauce (large) or 2 T each oil and apple sauce (small)
Honey: 2/3 C or 1/3 C
Dough Enhance: 2 ½ T or 3 ¾ t (I can't find this in NY so I just leave it out)
Vital Wheat Gluten: 2 T or 1 T (buy in any grocery store probably in baking or health food)
Flour: Start with 8 ½ C (use 12-15 total) or Start with 4 ¼ C (use 6-7 ½ total)
Yeast: 2 ½ T or 3 ¾ t

MIXING INSTRUCTIONS:

Wheat: Combine 8-9 (or half that for smaller mixer) cups gresh wheat flour and warm water. Using the dough hook, mix to paste consistency. Mix in yeast and then add salt, honey, oil/apple sauce and gluten. Turn on mixer. As the motor bears down, turn up the speed. Add additional flour until dough pulls away from sides of bowl (careful not to add too much flour). Let knead 7-8 minutes then add dough enhancer, knead 2 more minutes. (Total 10 minutes). Use shortening or oil on your hands to form loaves (not flour!). Take dough immediately from bowl. Fill non-stick loaf pans ½ to 2/3 full with shaped loaves. Cover with plastic wrap to keep moist. Let rise until doubled (approx. 1 ½ inches above top of pan--about 30 minutes). Place in cold oven. Turn oven to 350◦. Bake 30-40 minutes. Yields: 5-6 or 2-3 1 ½ lb loaves.

Cinnamon Rolls: Same mixing instructions as Wheat bread. Remove the dough once it’s kneaded, and roll it out on a lightly oiled surface into a large rectangle about 16X36 inches and approx. ¼ inch thick. Melt ¾ cube butter and spread it evenly over the dough. In a separate bowl mix 1 ½ cups brown sugar with 3 tsp. cinnamon. Spread mixture evenly over dough. Spread 1 cup shredded pecans and 1 ½ cups plumped raisins evenly over dough. Roll up dough to form a roll starting with the long side. Seal the seam by pinching dough together. With seam side down, cut into 1 inch slices using fish line or floss. (Slide string under the roll, cross it over the top, and pull apart.) Place rolls on a non-stick baking sheet. Let rise until double in size. Bake: 350◦ 13-18 minutes. Yield: 32 rolls (or more).