Whole
Wheat Bread Making
Wheat is also known as the “staff of life”. It is the most nutritious grain for man on
the earth. It is especially rich in B
vitamins and protein and fiber. It also
contains several other vitamins and minerals.
White flour has been refined and has had both the bran and
the wheat germ removed. The wheat bran
is an excellent source of fiber and the wheat germ is rich in B vitamins, iron,
potassium, magnesium, zinc and protein.
It is also a natural source of Vitamin E.
Purchased wheat flour typically has the germ removed to
improve shelf life.
Wheat flour is one of the least expensive sources of high
quality protein you can buy. It costs
about $.15 per pound compared to animal protein that is about $2.00 per
pound.
If wheat allergy or sensitivity is a concern, the spelt grain may be a good
alternative. Spelt is the original
wheat grain before hybrid grains were developed. Many people with wheat allergies have been
able to tolerate spelt without a problem.
(People with a true gluten allergy should not use spelt)
When selecting wheat for bread-making, it is important to
look at the protein content. Hard white
or hard red wheat with high protein (16-20%) is ideal. If the wheat contains less than 16% protein,
gluten flour will need to be added to the bread.
· A wheat
kernel is divided into three main parts; the outer layer, called the bran; the
inner starchy layer, called the endosperm; and the tiny embryo at the base of the kernel, called the
germ.
· The outer
layer, or the bran makes up 14% of the kernel and is removed when making white
flour
· Most of
the B vitamins are contained in the bran layer
· B
vitamins strengthen the nerves. If
stress is a part of your life, you can really help yourself by including whole
wheat in your diet
Bread
making equipment that will help ensure your success:
· Liquid and dry measuring cups, measuring spoons
· Wheat grinder
· Spatula or large spoons
· Electric mixer or large bowl (the whole
process can be done by hand if necessary)
· Rolling pin
· Thin cloths to dampen and cover rising loaves
· Cooling Racks
Standard size baking
pans (7 1/2 inches long, 3 1/2 inches wide on bottom, 2 3/4 inches deep (deeper
pans are OK but wider pans tend to cause problems
The principles of bread-making are always
the same. Learn the principles, then you can vary the ingredients and still get excellent
results.
The key to successful bread making is
PRACTICE
If you choose to buy wheat to grind yourself, select hard
white spring wheat or hard red winter or spring wheat. If you are able to eat whole wheat products
without digestive difficulty, either wheat will be satisfactory. However, if you have digestive difficulty,
the white wheat seems to be easier on the digestive tract.
The wheat should be high in protein (16-20%). Soft wheats are
used for pastry flour and can be used in cakes and cookies but they do not make
good bread. “Baker’s Quality” wheat
contains the two types of protein necessary for gluten development and should
be used for bread making. The
type of hard wheat you select for use in bread-making is the single most
important factor for your degree of success!
Milling Wheat: Wheat needs to be milled fine enough to allow the gluten
framework to develop. If it is too coarsely ground, the
gluten will not develop. Most electric
mills are designed to give a pastry fine flour in the
finest setting. Bread flour does not
have to be that fine, so the
next setting works very well.
One cup of grain yields 1 1/2 cups of flour
Storing Wheat flour:
Freshly
ground flour may be stored for few weeks at room
temperature. If a longer storage life is
desired, you can store it in the refrigerator or freezer. Let the flour come to room temperature before
making bread.
Wheat Bran: Freshly ground wheat is a great
source for dietary fiber but that fiber can damage the gluten framework during
kneading and rising. To make a good wheat
bread, do not add extra wheat bran to the dough. It is also important to have the dough rise
only once.
Wheat germ: The nutrition in the wheat germ is
valuable in whole wheat bread, but it contains an agent that will break down
the gluten. For this reason it is
important to not add any additional wheat germ to the bread. Simply enjoy the amount of wheat germ that is
naturally there.
*Ingredients
Substituting other flour: If you choose to put any white flour in your bread it should
be labeled “Better for Bread” as opposed to “All Purpose”.
Up to one-third of the whole wheat flour in any bread recipe may be
interchanged with either bleached or unbleached white flour. You can also substitute cracked wheat for
some of the flour. It should be no more
than 1/8 of the flour in the recipe and should be soaked over
night to soften it.
Yeast: Yeast is a living plant and needs
warmth and moisture to grow. There are
three different types of yeast to purchase. (1) Compressed yeast is the most
powerful with the greatest rising ability, but it is harder to find. It must be used within 6 weeks and added
directly to the bread dough. (2) The next most powerful is instant, rapid-rise
yeast. This yeast does not need to be
pre-softened in warm water. It may be
added to the bread dough after the first 1-2 cups of flour have been added. (3)
Active Dry Yeast. This is the
least powerful and must be softened in warm water for 5-10 minutes before
adding it to the other ingredients.
Instant yeast is
easy to find in the grocery store and is the type of yeast I prefer using.
It is best to store instant yeast in a freezer between 0-10
degrees F. A lower temperature could
kill the yeast; a higher temperature will shorten shelf life.
Liquid: Water, milk, potato water, or
buttermilk can be used in bread-making.
Water allows the flavor of the wheat to be more pronounced. Milk causes the bread to toast more evenly and
quickly. Breads stay fresh longer when
made with milk. Potato water gives
greater volume but a coarser texture.
Buttermilk causes the dough to be more tender
and will give a distinctive flavor to the bread. If you choose to use buttermilk, use it
only for 1/2 the liquid, and use water or milk for the other 1/2.
Oil and Fat: This is used to increase elasticity
and to produce a more tender crumb. Volume will increase,
bread browns more evenly and will stay fresh longer. One tablespoon of oil for each cup of flour
is a good amount. A good quality oil
(olive, flax seed, grapeseed, sunflower, or canola)
or butter can be used in bread.
Shortening or lard contain poor quality fats and should be avoided.
Salt: Salt brings out the flavor of the
other ingredients and controls the fermentation process. If salt needs to be deleted for health
reasons, it is important to watch the dough carefully so that it doesn’t rise
too high at any stage.
Sugar: Sugar feeds the yeast and adds flavor
to the bread. Too little sugar prevents
oven browning and too much causes excessive browning. White sugar, brown sugar, honey or molasses
may be used.
Gluten Flour: (Also called Vital Wheat Gluten) is
extracted from high protein wheat. If
your wheat protein is less than 16% you need to add gluten flour. I prefer using gluten flour in all my breads,
even if the protein in the wheat is above 16%.
Dough Enhancer:
May contain
any combination of whey, ascorbic acid, salt, corn starch, lecithin, tofu and
flavorings. Some components provide food
for the yeast, other components repair and strengthen
the gluten to improve the quality of the bread.
Eggs: Add a rich golden color to bread and
improve the texture. Eggs cause the
bread to rise higher and stay fresh longer.
One egg is equivalent to 1/4 cup liquid in your recipe.
The procedures followed in preparing various yeast breads are
basically the same. The basic steps are
outlined below along with an explanation of why these steps are important.
1. Scald the milk.
(if milk is used as the liquid). Milk contains an enzyme that will break down
the quality of the dough and make it sticky.
The enzyme is deactivated by heating the milk to 198 F for 1 minute or
185 F for 7 minutes. Any milk, except
evaporated milk must be scalded before adding.
2. Mix sugar,
fat, and salt with liquid. Place
sugar, fat and salt in bowl. Pour in
scalded milk or hot water. Stir to mix
ingredients and melt the fat.
3. Stir in 1/2 to
1 cup of the flour. This will result
in a lumpy mixture. This will tie up the
fat so that the yeast will not be coated by fat when it is added.
4. Check
temperature of the mixture before adding yeast.
The mixture should not be warmer than 105 F. The simplest way of checking is to insert a
well washed finger directly into the mixture.
If it feels approximately body temperature or only
slightly warm, the yeast can be added immediately.
5. Add remaining
ingredients and 1/2 of the remaining flour.
The mixture should be sufficiently viscous to permit vigorous
beating. The dough is mixed vigorously
for approximately 2-3 minutes. The
mixture should become quite smooth and develop a cohesive quality as gluten
develops.
6. Gradually add
more flour to make a soft dough. Add just enough flour to make the dough
easy to handle without being sticky.
7. Knead the
dough. This will take about 5
minutes on medium speed with an electric mixer. If you allow the mixer to knead the dough
too long, it will begin to tear instead of stretch as it kneads. At this point, the gluten has been damaged
and cannot be repaired. If kneading by
hand, fold dough in half, then push away with the heel
of the hand. Rotate the dough 90 degrees
and do it again. Hand
kneading takes anywhere from 5-15 minutes. The gluten is developed sufficiently when
the dough loses its stickiness and becomes stretchy and elastic and small
blisters can be seen just under the surface when the dough is stretched.
8. Rest the
dough. Allow the dough to rest for
5-10 minutes before forming into loaves.
This gives the dough time to relax, and it is easier to shape the
loaves. If making White bread, the dough
should be fermented for about 1 hour. It
is allowed to rise until double in bulk in an oiled bowl. The best temperature for fermentation is
78-82 F. Punch down the dough before
shaping into loaves.
9. Shaping the
loaves. After measuring the amount
of dough needed for each loaf, take the dough and roll it out on a lightly
sprayed or oiled counter into a rectangle, 7 1/2” x 10”. Then roll the narrow end up, jelly-roll
fashion, pinching the seam together.
Place the dough into a sprayed pan and cover it with a damp towel.
10. Let the
loaves rise until double in bulk.
11. Baking the
loaves. Breads should be baked at a
higher temperature (400 F) for the first 10 minutes. This sets the yeast cells and prevents the
bread from rising higher. The oven
temperature is then turned down to 350 F to finish the baking process. Make sure that there is a space between
the loaves in the oven so that the heat can circulate evenly between the
loaves.
12. Cooling the
bread. When the bread comes out of
the oven, it must come out of the pans within 5 minutes. Otherwise it will become soggy. Hot bread may be dashed quickly under
running water. Steam will be created,
leaving a soft crust. Brush with melted
butter. Cool on a rack, then put away in clean plastic bread sacks.
The knife you use when you slice the bread is very
important. The best knife is a long,
sharp serrated knife.
If your bread is still hot when you slice it, your slices
will need to be a little thicker than normal, because the cell walls of the
bread are very fragile until the bread cools.
Be gentle with the knife. Use a
sawing action, going back and forth at least 7-8 times before reaching the
bottom. Try to slice without pushing
down too hard on the loaf.
Whole wheat bread will stay fresh for one day at room
temperature, two to three days in a refrigerator, or
up to three months in the freezer, if well wrapped.
12-15 cups whole
wheat flour
2
1/2 TB instant yeast
1/2 cup oil
2 TB salt
4 1/2 cups scalded
milk
1/2 cup honey
(double the honey when making cinnamon swirl bread)
3 eggs
1/4 cup dough
enhancer
1/2 cup Vital Wheat
gluten
Mill approximately 10-11 cups of wheat. As it is milling, combine warm milk, oil,
honey and salt in mixing bowl. After
liquids have cooled to a warm temperature, add 1 cup flour and mix. Add 6 more cups wheat flour, instant yeast,
eggs, dough enhancer and wheat gluten.
Mix together on low speed for 2-3 minutes. Continue adding flour as the machine mixes on
low speed (5-6 cups at first, then 1/2 cup at a time) until the dough is the
desired consistency. The dough should be
pliable, but not too sticky or dry.
Continue mixing on high speed until gluten is developed. (5 minutes with Bosch). Allow dough to rest for 5 minutes. Turn dough out onto lightly sprayed or oiled
counter, knead slightly and divide into loaves.
Let rise until double in size.
Bake at 400 F for 10 minutes.
Turn oven down to 350 and continue baking for 25-30 minutes.
2 1/2
cups scalded milk
1/2 cup
honey
1/4 cup
butter or oil
1 TB
salt
2 TB instant yeast
1 egg
2 TB dough enhancer
1/4 cup
Vital Wheat gluten
4 1/2
cups whole wheat flour
2 1/4
cups white or whole wheat flour
Generously grease two loaf pans. In large bowl, combine scalded milk, honey,
salt, and butter or oil. Cool slightly
(temperature should be less than 105 F).
To cooled mixture, add 3 cups whole wheat flour, yeast, egg, gluten, and
dough enhancer. Blend at low speed until
moistened. Beat 3 minutes at medium
speed. Add remaining whole wheat flour
and mix well. Add additional flour until
dough pulls cleanly away from the bowl.
Knead the dough for 5 minutes with electric mixer or by hand for 10-15
minutes. Shape into loaves. Let rise until double in size, about 45-60
minutes. Bake for 10 minutes at 400 F
and an additional 20-25 minutes at 350 F.
Remove from pans immediately.
Mashed
Potatoes in Bread?
Yes! It may seem
unusual, but it is a great ingredient to add to bread. It is a good source for yeast and will act
as a dough enhancer. Does the name “Spudnuts” ring a bell? The original spudnut
doughnut contained good old spuds to make them light and fluffy. When added to wheat bread, mashed potatoes
make a lighter, better textured bread. One-fourth cup of mashed potatoes per loaf
may be added. If you don’t have any eggs
or dough enhancer on hand, mashed potatoes make a great substitute!
Sprouted grain is easier to digest
and contains more nutrients than un-sprouted grain. Some persons who are wheat
sensitive or allergic to wheat can tolerate it in the sprouted form. Agricultural sprays may also create wheat
sensitivities in some people. Cleaning
the wheat in a chlorine bleach or hydrogen peroxide solution will remove residues
from agricultural sprays.
It is easy to clean and sprout wheat before
making bread. Sprouted wheat works very
well in these bread recipes. The bread
is softer, a little sweeter, and stores better (2-3 days at room
temperature). Allow 3 days to complete
the process.
·
Place 8 cups wheat berries in a large, fine
mesh colander. Fill kitchen sink full of
water and add 1 tsp. Clorox bleach or hydrogen peroxide. (Do not use lemon scent or Clorox II).
·
Place colander of
wheat in water, making sure all the wheat berries are covered. Soak for 10-20 minutes.
·
Remove wheat from cleansing solution and place
in sink full of clean water to rinse.
Soak for 10 minutes. Remove wheat
from rinse water.
·
If you choose not to sprout the wheat,
thoroughly dry before grinding into flour.
·
If you do choose
to sprout the wheat, follow the directions below.
·
Place
8 cups of clean wheat berries in a 16 cup container (1 gallon or two 1/2 gallon
containers). Cover with water and soak
for 24 hours until wheat doubles in bulk.
·
This 24 hour soak begins the sprouting process and will produce a wonderful bread at this point is you prefer to stop here
and dehydrate the wheat.
·
Dehydrating wheat: Place wheat on dehydrator tray
and dry at a low temperature (110 F—115 F) for 12-16 hours before grinding into
flour. Use sprouted grain flour
instead of regular wheat flour in the included bread recipes
·
If you would like to include a more developed sprout
in the bread, place the soaked wheat on a sprouting tray and sprout for
one day to get sprouts of 1/16” to 1/8” long.
Store sprouts in refrigerator 1-2 days until needed. These sprouts can also be dehydrated or
milled into flour.
·
When
using wheat sprouts in bread, use up to 1/3 wheat called for in recipe as
sprouts. Combine wheat sprouts with
liquid and pulverize in blender.
Continue making bread as directed in recipe, using the remaining wheat
as flour.
Sprouted wheat bread will rise faster and taste sweeter than un-sprouted wheat bread. Watch your bread carefully and adjust your recipe to achieve the taste and texture you are looking for.