Everyone LOVED it except for a certain redheaded Rapunzel. She thought it tasted like a dog biscuit. She is a snob when it comes to any bread other than Grandma Sycamore's White Bread that her Grandma buys for her. (It's a special Grandma treat that she toasts and then dips in hot chocolate) We have been buying Grandma Sycamore's Honey Whole Wheat for years. And all these years I have been thinking that I am such a great Mom making my kids eat whole wheat. Turns out that I have just been poisoning them once little slice at a time. Grandma Sycamore's contains High Fructose Corn Syrup! UGH....is there anything out there that DOESN'T?!
Just to prove that I am trying hard to make a healthy improvements in my family's diet I have posted some pictures of my bread success! And one unfortunate failure!
The recipe I used was from this website http://www.superhealthykids.com/Recipes.html And in true fashion I didn't follow the recipe as it was written. This is how I did it.........
3 2/3(ish) cups whole wheat flour
1 1/4 TBS yeast
2 1/2 cups hot tap water
1 TBS salt
1/3 cup oil
1/3 cup honey
1 1/4 TBS bottled lemon juice
2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
Mix together the flour and the yeast with a dough hook (stand mixer). Add the water all at once and mix for 1 min. Cover and let rest for 10 min. Add salt, oil, honey, and lemon juice. Mix for 1 min. Add the last 2 1/2 cups of flour a little bit at a time until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl. The dough will be VERY soft. Turn the dough onto an oiled counter top. Divide and shape the dough into 2 loafs. Place them into oiled bread pans.
Pre-heat the oven for 1 min...and then turn the oven OFF (this is just to get the oven warm). Place the bread into the warmed oven and let them rise for 10-15 min until the dough reaches the top of the pans. DO NOT REMOVE BREAD FROM OVEN. Turn oven ON to 350 F and bake for 30 min. Remove from pans and cool on rack.
Don't be sad if your 1st attempt doesn't look as pretty as mine did. I have a gift. And I am sure that with practice yours too can look as nice as mine.
But just so you all know that even perfect people can make mistakes I posted this next picture.
This was going to be my second attempt at bread. This was going to be Artisan bread. It required that you add water to a pan underneath the baking bread to give it steam and produce a crusty outer crust (my favorite!).
I knew it was a bad idea to add cold water to a glass pan in a hot oven but I totally was adding BOILING water to it and I thought I would be safe. WRONG. Glass shattered and went everywhere! Luckily the kids were all in bed and no one was hurt. I will try again in the morning, this time with a metal pan.
HOLY COW! Glad no one was hurt in the fallout. What a mess! On the other hand, Gammy would be SO PROUD of you and your beautiful whole wheat bread. That is all she ever made and it WAS delish. I especially loved it toasted. So I will need to sample your bread and compare it to the Original Gammy's Whole Wheat Bread. I'm sure you will compare favorably. You ARE 4th in line when it comes to great cooks...
ReplyDeletehi janika! this is jessica christensen. love your blog! you are too funny and cute! i did the SAME thing a while ago making artisan bread! i knew not to do it too, but i did it anyway!
ReplyDeletesome (maybe) unwanted advice from me: get the book and cd 'i can make you thin' by paul mckenna. willpower is weak (at least mine) but your imagination is much stronger. (you will understand once you read the book) cook from my blog! www.veganomics-101.blogspot.com so some of the recipes are probably out of people's comfort zones... i like creative cooking and eating! i assure you they all taste great. there are a lot of other plant-based sites out there that are great too! i'm liking this site lately http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes_menus (their vegetarian section)
eat plants and whole grains and you can't fail. ok, and meat and animal products sparingly. sparingly, i think means a little bit. very little bit :)
google 'raw desserts' and eat those for treats. they are high in GOOD fats (don't be afraid of good fats!) like nuts, avocado and coconut oil and have lots of cocoa- which is good for you (minus the sugar and milk) the 'raw' people know how to make the best, most delicious decadent desserts! i'm making this today i think: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mdore3CEIag (how adorable is he btw?) (minus that herb he's talking about. no idea what that is)
i have some raw treats and sugar free treats on my site too. (search lara bars on my site) oh and green smoothies. any fruits plus greens, like spinach (raw leafy) blended in the blender with some almond/soy milk. you can't taste the green and you'll be addicted soon like i am!
forgive me for the unasked for advice but i've been on the health kick for a few yrs, done tons of research and couldn't resist but share.
Hi Janika-
ReplyDeleteMichelle sent me to your blog. I love it! I only wish I had started eating healthier before I was 30!
I have found one store bought brand that doesn't have HFCS in it. It's Nature's Pride. I'm sure your homemade bread is much tastier, but if you're in a pinch, Nature's Pride is pretty good.
Gotta go read some more of your posts now!