Homemade whole wheat bread -- point me in the right direction

[tigerlily]

So, I want to start making bread.

I don't have a bread machine and I've been frustrated with results in the past -- mostly very thick, I prefer lighter bread.

Can someone point me to a fail-proof recipe or website?

I'm looking for healthier, money-saving, and moving toward self-sufficiency as my goals for learning this skill.

[Can'tTurnLeft]

Ummm I think you should just visit me for a weekend. I could teach you how to do it. I can't really tell you though.

I use fresh ground wheat and soak it in liquid overnight. I use eggs, honey, milk, yeast and have a sticky dough.

[Hermana Linda]

I was using bread revolution but it's really not so light. :think It's never fool proof, it takes a little practice. Here is the recipe I was using.I take 2 tsp of yeast, 1.5 tbsp salt, 1/3 cup brown sugar and mix it in a bowl. Then I add 3 tbsp canola oil and mix again. Then I put some water to heat in the microwave and measure 5 oz cold rice milk. When the water is hot, I add 5 oz of the hot water to the cold rice milk and mix well. I take its temperature and make sure that it is between 90-110 F, which is almost always is. Then I pour the fluid into the bowl and mix. Then I mix in 2.75 cups of White Wheat flour. If you can't find that, I used to use 1.75 cups of wheat flour and 1 cup of white. I never tried all reg whole wheat flour, my husband would never have eaten it.

I mix all that with a wooden spoon, wet my hand, clean off the spoon, pat the dough with wet hands and cover it with a plastic bag. I leave it for about 2 hours. If I need more time, I leave it in the fridge. If I know that I will need more time, I just put it in the fridge right away. For some inexplicable reason, it still rises.

After 2 hours the dough has risen to its full capacity and collapsed. If I can't deal with it, at that time, I put in the fridge. I like the dough to be cold because it is easier to work with. But, if the dough is cold, the next step takes longer, so it is a trade off.

Once I am ready to bake, I take a loaf pan and coat it with margarine and shake flour over it. (I keep flour in a shaker). I also sprinkle oatmeal on the bottom of the loaf pan. I then sprinkle flour on my counter along with oatmeal and flax seed (ground or whole). I wet my right hand, grab all the dough and throw it on the counter. I then flatten it a bit, sprinkle a little four on it and roll it into a loaf. I quickly drop it into the prepared loaf pan. I then cover it with a plastic bag, being careful that the plastic will not touch the rising dough.

At this point it is important to watch it that it not rise too much and collapse. Also, it will sag over the rim if allowed to rise too much. I still have not determined how long this takes. It depends on the temp in the room and also the temp of the dough. If it was in the fridge, naturally it will take about twice as long to rise. Once it has risen to where I want it, it is important to get it in the oven right away, so I turn it on to give it plenty of time to preheat. I bake it at 350 F for about 56 minutes. Then I remove it from the loaf pan and cool it on a wire rack.

By the way, if it collapses or sags over the rim, I still bake it and eat it, but it tends to be dense and crumbles easily.

I should add that I tried making it with oat bran instead of oatmeal on top and it rose more making a lighter and fluffier loaf. That might have been a coincidence, or the oatmeal might make it heavier, I'm not sure.

I am updating this to mention that I also discovered that if I jostle the loaf as I put it into the oven, it collapses. Be careful not to bang the oven door!

But since then I started adding more flour and kneading it. It does give a lighter bread. :yes I'm not sure how much flour I use now. I think it's 3 1/2 or a little more. I shake it out of a shaker container until it's the right consistency. On top of that, weather affects how much you need. And how do you know the right consistency? Practice. I knead it about 5 minutes the first time and just a few the 2nd.

---------- Post added at 04:33 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:32 PM ----------

Ummm I think you should just visit me for a weekend. I could teach you how to do it. I can't really tell you though.

I use fresh ground wheat and soak it in liquid overnight. I use eggs, honey, milk, yeast and have a sticky dough.
Right. Then you could have her knead it and see what it is supposed to feel like when it's done. :tu

[Can'tTurnLeft]

Right. Then you could have her knead it and see what it is supposed to feel like when it's done. :tu

That is the thing with bread. The bread you make in the summer is going to feel totally different than the bread you make in the winter. Or a humid vs dry day or whatever. It is an art, not a science

[tigerlily]

Erin -- Do you grind your own wheat? I think my mom has a grinder she said I could have.:think

If you do grind your own, what type of wheat do you buy? If you don't where do you get the fresh ground wheat?

Erin -- if you could tell me rough measurements I'd be willing to experiment and play. What are the differences you notice most between summer/winter bread baking.

[Can'tTurnLeft]

I do grind my own wheat. I get hard white wheat from my coop, but I'm not sure the best place to get it there. I will research some.

I will bbl with some measurements.

[klpmommy]

:popcorn

[MTmomma]

I soak mine overnight too (flour, water, and vinegar). It makes a huge difference as far as making a lighter loaf!

[Can'tTurnLeft]

Another thing about soaking the grain is it is the way traditionally people made bread, outside of unleavened bread. The gluten load is lightened by soaking the grain and some people in traditional food circles speculate that our not soaking grains contributes to people having such big issues with gluten in their guts.