The aroma of loaves of homemade bread baking inside of my oven is a sweet comfort to me. I started baking bread because of the health benefits for my family. I like to know what is in our food. I like that my children eat bread free of preservatives, chemicals, white flour and white sugar. I also believe we save money by my bread making rather than buying loaves in the store. But more than that, baking bread for my family has become another way for me to express to them how much I love, cherish and value them. It might seem silly, but it is a very tangible way for me to show love.
It's not that it takes a whole lot of time. I do not make my bread all by hand - after all I am a busy, homeschooling mommy who wants to spend moments playing with my children, making memories, rather than every second in the kitchen!(As much as I do enjoy being in my kitchen creating yummy goodness!) So I use a bread maker or my Kitchen aid. Someday when I have a bit more time, I would like to make bread by hand, but now is not the time. I would also like to grind my own wheat berries. Lately my Kitchen Aid has been welcoming my bread dough, as my bread maker broke this fall. {sad}I have tried numerous whole wheat bread recipes on my family. We like the bread to be a bit sweet, so we prefer recipes with honey or agave nectar. We like the crust to be firm, but the inside to be fluffy and tender. This can be tricky with some whole wheat recipes. And I want a bread that tastes fresh even after a few days. This fall I landed on this recipe out of a Gooseberry Patch book. It is now our whole wheat bread standby. I make it at least every other week. Although, we have liked other whole wheat breads, this is by far superior, and is the recipe card I find myself reaching for over and over. This bread is versatile. It can just as easily be used on a sandwich as it can be used solo paired with soup, chili, or spaghetti. We have eaten it as toast and french toast. The recipe below has been modified for the Kitchen Aid.
Whole Wheat Bread
Gooseberry Patch
Ingredients:
2 T active dry yeast
1/4 C. warm water
1/4 C. honey
2 t. salt
3 T. olive oil
5 1/2 - 6 c. whole-wheat flour - divided
1 T. butter - melted
Method:
Dissolve yeast in 1/4 C. warm water. In mixer, combine 2 c. warm water, honey, salt,
and oil. Stir in 2 c. of whole-wheat flour, mixing well. Stir in yeast mixture. Add more flour, 1/2 c. at a time, to make a fairly stiff dough, Knead with dough hook for about five minutes. Shape dough into a ball, put in greased bowl. Cover bowl and let rise 45 minutes or until double in size. Punch down dough, divide in half and knead a little; let rest ten minutes. Shape dough into two loaves and place in two 8x4 inch greased loaf pans. Split top; drizzle with melted butter. Let rise until double in bulk, abut 30 minutes. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes. Yield: 2 loaves
Get printable recipe here.
This bread is so delicious warm and straight from the oven. My children hardly can wait for me to slice it and share with them a piece of warm bread.
My sweet Cadi anxiously waiting for her afternoon snack. (Poor baby is sick today with a cold.)
What could be a better snack than a slice of warm whole wheat bread slathered in Nutella? (Okay, I must be honest even cardboard would taste delightful slathered in Nutella - even so this snack is that much better when homemade wheat bread and Nutella are paired!)
Notice the tears remaining around his baby blues? Mommy couldn't get the bread to him fast enough! And this poor baby is still suffering from eczema as you will notice on his hand and arm - it is better!
Oh to be a child again and get Nutella all over my face! Wait - my hubby just did this at lunch - ha!!
Do you know what else spells love to my family? My grandma's warm old fashioned molasses cookies with jelly in the center. The dough is waiting in the fridge for me. Hungry for the recipe?!
Addis Ababa Time