This is an adaptation of my great grandmother's recipe for bread. I use either freshly ground whole white wheat, or spelt flour in this recipe. It makes a big difference not only in the nutritional value, but in the ability for the bread to rise, which makes for a lighter loaf. No more whole wheat bricks! I'm also a fan of multitasking, so I usually cook my homemade granola at the same time. (Found on my blog post from June 11th, 2012.) This keeps the oven warm, so when it's time for the bread to rise, I can place it on top of my warm oven, which speeds the rising time greatly. Still, plan on making this when you plan to spend time at home.
Mix and Set:
1 Cup Warm Water
3 tsp + Heaping 1/4 tsp Saf Instant Yeast
In a Stand Mixer:
4 Tbs Honey
4 tsp Redmond Real Salt
4 Tbs Butter (no added hormones)
2 Cups Hot Water
Add to Standing Mixer:
The Yeast Mixture
1 Cup Almond Milk
Add Very Gradually: (It is key to add each cup of flour to the mixture one at a time, allowing time for each to be mixed in completely. I live at a higher elevation, so watch the dough for that slightly sticky texture, in which the dough springs back a bit. You may need more or less flour than I use here.)
11 Cups Freshly Ground, Whole White Wheat, or Spelt Flour
Remove from mixing stand, and cover with a towel to keep the dough from drying out. In a warm area, let rise to top of the bowl. Punch down, and cover again. Let rise 1/2 way to the rim again. Wet hands with water, and form the dough into 3 loaves, and place in buttered baking loaf pans. Again, cover with the towel and let rise as long as possible, so that the bread is well above the top rim of the loaf pans. Bake at 375F for 40 minutes. Baste the tops of the bread with butter. Carefully remove the loaves from the pans using a knife edge the sides and slide them out onto a cooling rack. Enjoy your hard work--or rather your patience in waiting for the dough to rise. It wasn't so hard, was it?
The Heart of the Home~
When it's a rainy day outside, it's a good day to bake bread, filling the house with warmth, and a comforting smell of home. When I bake this bread, I'm honoring the tradition of homemaking. My mother was a true homemaker. I have memories of my mom growing a garden, baking bread, canning, and home cooked meals on the table almost every night. She sewed all of my dresses for high school dances, and designed my wedding dress too. My mom kept a tidy home, with projects neatly tucked away in drawers or rooms. She did the ironing, the mending, errand running, and finances all without a single complaint. She took joy in being a woman of the house.
This bread recipe was originally written down by my Aunt Joan, my mother's sister. The technique came from my great grandmother's hands. Lillian, my mom, was taking care of my great grandmother, Clara Emily Lee, the summer of my mother's high school graduation. Clara was in her 90's at the time, nearly blind, and in a wheelchair due to her aging bones. In Clara's frail form, she demanded that my mother learn how to make homemade bread, because the store-bought stuff was no good. She would hold Lillian's hands in hers, and teach her how the bread dough should feel. Clara lived to be 100 years old.
So the recipe has evolved. In my home, one of the changes made is that I use honey instead of sugar. I can't say enough how much I love real raw honey. We eat it by the tub at our house. It might be that I grew up loving the honey my Aunt Arlene brought over when I was a child. She would even make it in different flavors. I remember having orange honey, lime honey, and chocolate honey as a kid. She was carrying on the heritage of bee- keeping, which came from my Grandpa Lee, my mother's father. He always said that the raw honey helped his asthma, and allergies. The pollen collected from the local plants built a resistance up against allergens in the air. Today, we use the local bee pollen as well to ward of seasonal allergies. My mom is allergic to bee stings--maybe we would have had bees at our house also if that were not the case. I always wonder if I am allergic, because I've never been stung. I just let the bees be. So far so good. My boys know what it's like to be stung. They also know what it's like to taste honey. It's fascinating to them that a little bee could sting them, but then make honey so sweet. We forgive the bees, and put a big dollop of honey on our freshly baked bread.
