I decided to make my own bread today. After flipping through recipes I found one that I thought would be good. I was looking for a recipe with the least amount of animal products and processed products. And since this was my first real go at making bread (I cook, I don’t bake…at least not yet), I wanted to stay in the “simple” range. I found a recipe and tweaked it to fit what I was looking for. So here it is.
100% Whole Wheat Bread
Makes 1 loaf
INGREDIENTS
1 cup warm water
1 tbsp almond milk
3 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp honey
2 tbsp organic sugar
1 tsp salt
3 cups wheat flour
2 tsp instant active dry yeast
1. Combine first 6 ingredients (using only 2 tbsp of the olive oil reserving the rest for later) in a large mixing bowl; stir.
2. Add flour and yeast, and knead until dough is smooth and elastic, about 10-15 minutes if kneading by hand or 2-4 minutes if using a mixer. Grease a bowl with 1/2 tbsp olive oil and place the dough in the bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover with a clean towel and let rise in a warm area until doubled, about 40 minutes.
3. Punch dough down; knead for a few minutes until smooth and then form into a loaf. Grease a loaf pan with 1/2 tbsp olive oil and place the dough in the loaf pan and cover. Let rise in a warm place until almost doubled in size, about 30 minutes.
4. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes. If loaf starts browning too soon, lightly lay a piece of foil on top of the loaf to prevent too much darkening.
5. Remove bread from oven and allow to rest in pan for a few minutes. Remove to a wire rack and cover with a cloth. Slice and enjoy while still warm! Leftover bread can be stored in an airtight bag or frozen until needed.