Wednesday, January 14, 2009

Impressive Homemade Bread in 1 Hour and 35 Minutes :)

I have been making this homemade bread recipe for longer than I have had my wheat grinder. My friend Michelle gave me this recipe years ago when she was so kind to let me grind wheat at her house before I had my own whisper mill. I used to make bread all the time, but then it seemed as if my children didn't appreciate it because we had it too often. Now my excuse is that I don't have time to make homemade bread, so I decided to see just how long it would take.

I begin the process at 4:43 PM


I begin by dissolving 1 1/2 T yeast in 3 cups warm water. I then grind the wheat and gather the remaining ingredients while I let the yeast begin to foam.


And by 4:52 the following have been added:


1/4 cup oil
2 T honey
1/2 cup non-fat powdered milk
1 T salt
1 T dough enhancer
1 T vital wheat gluten
6-7 cups hard white wheat flour


I add just enough flour that as it mixes the dough pulls away from the side of the bowl. I let it knead for about 7 minutes. Usually at this point, most people will let the dough rise until it doubles in size. This bread turns out great without taking the extra time to let it rise. So when I am in a hurry, which is most of the time, I let the dough rest for about 5 minutes and then shape it into 3 loaves and put it into the bread pans.



And by 5:14, I can let the bread rise and bake while I fix the rest of dinner.

It usually takes about 20 -25 minutes for the bread to rise in a warm (170 degrees) oven. I then bake it for about 25 minutes at 350 degrees.


By 6:18, the bread is out of the oven and cooling on a wire rack.


I enjoy my whole wheat bread with lots of honey butter. My 11 year-old son said that this bread is the best bread ever! Thanks Michelle for a great recipe that my family has enjoyed for many years.

1 comment:

cathy said...

I have to thank you for that recipe and for teaching me how to make bread. I remember when I first moved into the neighborhood and I didn't have a clue and you showed me how to grind wheat and make whole wheat bread. You're the best!