The Natural Mommy

So I’ve updated my bread recipe. Interested?

Oh, and there are, embedded within this recipe, some works-for-me tips on bread-making.  Like how to make it moist(er?) and keep it fresher longer.  And all-around-better.  So ya know.

Honey Oat Flax Bread
Ingredients:
1 c warm water (not hot, slightly warmer than room temp)
2 tsp yeast
1/4 c honey
2 Tbs oil
1 1/2 c Bread flour
1 1/2 c Whole wheat flour
1/2 c rolled oats
2 Tbs ground flaxseed meal
1 tsp salt

1. While warming up the water (this takes a while at our kitchen sink), take yeast out of fridge, measure 2 tsp, place in small bowl, return yeast to fridge.  Room temperature yeast makes for happier bread.
2. Adjust the water that is surely boiling hot by now.  When it’s room temperature, measure out a cup.  Too cold and the yeast won’t activate (or whatever it does).  Too hot and you’ll kill it (is it alive?!).
3. Pour in [the bread machine] water, oil, honey, salt… all of it except the yeast.
4. Add yeast.  (Goes in last to keep it from activating prematurely.  Think this makes more of a difference if you’re setting a timer.  But I do it everytime anyway.)
5. Set bread machine to dough cycle.
6. When it’s done rising and beeps loud enough to wake the dead, let alone your napping children, remove from bread machine.
7. Turn oven to 350 and set timer for 2 min.  Set chosen loaf pan (I heart my stoneware loaf pan.  SO STINKIN’ EASY TO CLEAN!) in oven.  When timer goes off, turn OFF oven and remove pan.
8. Sprinkle flour on the table.  Dig one hand into the flour bag.  (Restaurants totally wouldn’t let you do this.)  Use floured hand to remove dough from pan onto floured table.
9. Now dig other hand into flour bag.  Sprinkle flour on dough.  (Bread machine dough is STICKY.)  Use both floured hands to knead the bread til all bubbles are gone.
10. Flatten dough, then roll up and shape into loaf shape.
11. Place dough in your slightly warmed loaf pan.  A cold pan will be unfriendly to a rising yeast loaf.  A hot pan will cook the outside of your dough prematurely.  Your pan will be juuuuuuuuuust right.
12. Place loaf pan into your slightly warmed oven.  (BE SURE IT IS OFF.)  Set timer for 30 minutes.
13. When timer goes off, turn oven on to 350 again.  Set timer for 30 minutes again.
14. If bread is getting too brown, cover with foil for the last 10-15 minutes. (I reuse the same piece of foil.  For both yeast and quick breads.  Conserve your earth!  (My shirt actually says that!  Right now!))
15. When timer beeps, remove bread.  Set loaf pan on a cooling rack.  KEEP BREAD IN PAN.  Cover bread with a towel.
16. Forget about bread.
17. When the bread pan is cool enough to handle (think, like, at least an hour later.  I’ve forgotten it for much longer.), turn pan upside down and bread should slide right out.  ‘Cuz by keeping that hot bread in the pan, moisture has condensed within it somehow.  Yah, moist bread!
18. Bag the bread.  I use a green produce bag.  You know, the type that’s supposed to breathe, or something, keeping your produce fresher longer?  On a whim, I tried it once on my bread and found it works on more than just celery!  Bag it before it’s cooled completely for moist(er?) bread.  The warmer it is when you bag it, the moist(er?) it’ll be.  But you don’t want soggy bread!  So… experiment, I guess.  Sorry, I don’t time things like this…

And THAT’S how you make bread!  Refined-sugar free, all natural, high fiber, high protein, omega-3 rich bread!

Did I mention yummy?

‘Cuz my hubby won’t eat store-bought bread anymore.

*Beams*

Filed under: The Cooking, Works For Me on July 29th, 2009