Knead To Keep Busy Bread

My Grandpa was the only dentist in his small Iowa town of 2000 people. So everyone called him Doc. This is Grandpa Doc's famous bread recipe that he picked up as a hobby after retiring. He made a ton of it and would give it out to everyone in town. It is very wholesome, hearty and delicious. There are a lot of cool wheat ingredients. I suggest finding a bulk foods store to pick up most of these. Please note the key to this bread is giving it a lot of time to rise.

In large bowl mix:

2 ½ C white flour

1 C of the following:

2 T soy flour
2 T wheat germ

2 T nonfat dry powdered milk
1 T wheat bran
(Use additional white flour to fill up cup if necessary)

1 tsp salt
2 packages yeast

In second bowl:

2 C stone ground whole wheat flour
1 C cracked wheat
Mix and set aside

In third bowl:

2 C white flour
Set aside

In sauce pan:

½ C packed dark brown sugar
½ stick soft margarine
2 ¾ C water

Heat contents in sauce pan to 100 degrees or test warm mixture on wrist. Pour ingredients into large bowl. Mix with wooden spoon. Add whole wheat flour (second bowl) and then white flour (third bowl) about a third at a time. Scrape sides of bowl and continue stirring until the ingredients are thoroughly blended and tend to form a ball that breaks away from the sides of the bowl. If the dough is very stiff, add a tiny bit of water.

Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface. Knead until the dough (about 10 min) no longer feels sticky and has a smooth, satiny, elastic texture, adding more flour if necessary. Lightly grease large bowl, place dough in bowl and roll around so all sides are coated. Cover with cloth and set aside in warm place. The yeast must be pampered with constant warmth to keep it active. You can use a cool oven. Let dough rise until it has doubled in size (1 1/2 to 2 hrs), punch down dough and replace in cloth covered bowl for 20 min. Remove dough and cut into 3 equal parts. Place in 3 greased bowls for 10 more min. Remove, shape into 3 loaves and place in bread pans. Let rise an hour (at least). Place in preheated 350 degree oven. Bake 20-25 min. Remove from pans and place on rack to cool. Brush margarine on top.

Enjoy!
Greg

Honey Whole Wheat Bread

This is a really simple, really delicious wheat bread. It makes three loaves, but since the average person does not have three bread pans, feel free to make two loaves and experiment with the third (Rolls? Bread sticks? Baguettes? Other free-form breadery? Go nuts!).

I've made this three times, and each time I've increased the ratio of whole wheat flour to bread flour - one day I might just buck the odds and go 100% whole wheat. Thus far, 2:1 whole wheat to bread flour has worked really well, but I'll leave the recipe as is:

You'll need:

3 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
2 packages active dry yeast
1/3 cup honey
5 cups bread flour
3 tablespoons butter, melted
1/3 cup honey
1 tablespoon salt
3 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
2 tablespoons butter, melted

Then do this:

In a large bowl, mix warm water, yeast, and 1/3 cup honey. Add 5 cups white bread flour, and stir to combine. Let set for 30 minutes, or until big and bubbly.

Mix in 3 tablespoons melted butter, 1/3 cup honey, and salt. Stir in 2 cups whole wheat flour. Flour a flat surface and knead with whole wheat flour until not real sticky - just pulling away from the counter, but still sticky to touch. This may take an additional 2 to 4 cups of whole wheat flour. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to coat the surface of the dough. Cover with a dishtowel. Let rise in a warm place until doubled.

Punch down, and divide into 3 loaves. Place in greased 9 x 5 inch loaf pans, and allow to rise until dough has topped the pans by one inch.

Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 25 to 30 minutes; do not overbake. Lightly brush the tops of loaves with 2 tablespoons melted butter or margarine when done to prevent crust from getting hard. Cool completely.

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