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By Steven, August 10, 2010 5:23 am

This is Steven’s first guest post!

This is a bread recipe I have been working on for several months. It started as a quest to find the perfect whole wheat bread recipe and turned into a weekly project. I tried a few different recipes, but after a few let-downs I decided to make my own recipe.

When the recipe got pretty close to the final version, I decided to convert it to weights (instead of volume), so I could make it the same every time and eventually share the recipe. So when Kim asked me if I needed anything for the kitchen for her upcoming CSN product review, I said “ooh, ooh get a kitchen scale!” Then I spent a few hours learning about scales and searching through all of the scales on the CSN website. I decided to get the Cuisinart KML-15 digital scale. The main features I was looking for were its 11 lb capacity, its ability to display ounces or grams, and the “tare” feature which lets you weigh ingredients one at a time as you add them to the bowl. Overall the scale is very nice, and I love it, but it does turn off too quickly when I’m not using it. When I turn it back on it resets itself to zero, which is frustrating if I am opening a new bag of flour or I just got distracted while I am in the middle measuring something. I contacted Cuisinart and they said there was nothing I could do to “fix” this. I just have to remember to tap it every once in a while to keep it from turning off!

So here is the recipe. This is a hearty, rich and tasty whole wheat bread that is great for sandwiches, toast, for a slice with butter, or just a just plain slice for a snack:

Honey Flax Wheat Bread
Makes 2 loaves

Ingredients:

• 11 oz (2 cup) whole wheat flour
• 14 fl oz (1¾ cup) hot water
• 6 fl oz (¾ cup) warm soy milk
• 1 oz (2 tbsp) sugar
• 1/4 oz (2 ¼ tsp or 1 packet) active dry yeast
• 24 oz (4¼ cup) bread flour
• 3/4 oz (1 tbsp) salt
• 1 oz (5 tbsp) milled flax seed
• 3 fl oz (6 tbsp) honey
• 4 fl oz (½ cup) vegetable oil
• 1 tsp wheat bran (or seeds, flax, whatever – just for looks and texture)

Directions:

1. In a large bowl mix the hot water and whole wheat flour together. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set aside for 4 or more hours.
2. In a small bowl (when step #1 is done), mix the sugar with the warmed milk and proof the yeast.
3. In a large bowl combine the bread flour, salt, and ground flax.



4. Add the yeast/milk, honey, and oil to the soaked whole wheat and mix until even. Add the bread flour mixture and mix until combined into workable dough. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead for 10 to 15 minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic. The dough should be tacky.



5. Place the ball of dough in a large oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and set aside to rise until doubled in size – 60 to 90 minutes.



6. Prepare 2 loaf pans with a light coating of oil. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and divide in half (about 2 lbs each). Shape each half into a loaf and place them into the prepared pans. (This is the video I used to learn how to shape sandwich loaves) Cover the pans loosely with plastic, and set aside to rise again until doubled in size – 60 for 90 minutes.



7. Preheat the oven to 375º.
8. Wet the top of each loaf with a wet paper towel, and sprinkle the wheat bran over the tops of the loaves. Press them in lightly with your dry hand. If you want a split-top loaf, use a sharp knife to slice to top of your loaf lengthwise ¼ – ½ inch deep.



9. Place the loaves in the oven, and bake for approximately 40 minutes until the internal temperature of the loaf is around 190º. Remove the loaves from the oven and let rest for a few minutes, then turn them out onto a cooling rack.
10. Wait 20 minutes for the loaves to cool, if you can, then slice and enjoy. You can also freeze a loaf and thaw to enjoy later.

Do you have any favorite bread recipes? Have you ever made homemade bread this way (without using a bread maker)?