White Wheat Bread

I love making bread, there's something therapeutic about it. The smell of the baking bread somehow makes me feel that all is well. Above is the white wheat kernels. Once ground, they look like . . .

This. A very fine flour. It's fun to bake bread just after grinding the wheat 'cause the wheat is warm and helps in the rising process.

The final product. The recipe I have makes 4 loaves in a Bosch. I don't have one of those. So I use my Kitchen Aid and 1/2 the recipe. What's the recipe? Here it is:

BASIC WHOLE WHEAT BREAD

6 Cups warm water, approx. 115 degrees

2 Tbsp. salt

2/3 cup canola oil

2/3 cup honey

3 Tbsp. dough enhancer

2 cups high gluten bread flour OR 1/3 cup vital wheat gluten

3 Tbsp. instant yeast

6 to 8 cups fresh ground flour

Put water, salt, oil, honey, dough enhancer, gluten & yeast in Kitch Aid - or Bosch. Put your timer to 8-10 minutes. Turn on Kitchen Aid or Bosch, start adding enough flour until the dough comes away from the sides of the bowl. I don't measure my flour. I just use enough until the texture is right.

Note: I don't use the dough enhancer - it's too hard to find and it's supposed to make the bread less crumbly. This is not a crumbly bread. As for the wheat gluten, you can purchase a box in the flour isle at any grocery store. Just look for "vital wheat gluten." Don't forget, if you're using a Kitchen Aid, 1/2 the recipe!! Make sure to use your dough hook.

Spray counter & your hands with vegetable spray. Remove dough from mixer onto the greased counter. Divide your dough with a dough divider (I use a butter knife) into 2 to 4 loaves. An 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 pan is recommended.

Shape loaves and place in a well sprayed pan. Never use oil. I pat down the bread into all four corners of the pan. Cover with a dry towel and let rise until dough has risen double or approx 2 inches above the rim of the pan. This will take 30 to 60 minutes, depending on the room temperature. I used to turn my oven on 200 and place the pans on top of the stove, you can too. Because I have a gas stove top now, I put my overhead light on high to give off heat.

Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes.

I rub the hot bread with butter on the top. Cool on cooking racks before putting into bread bags. The bread can be frozen up to 30 days without freezer burn.

**I love to use white wheat. It bakes beautifully! This is not your momma's white/wheat bread. It's whole wheat with all of the nutrients, without the heaviness to it!