Bread Experiment

White Wheat Bread/Red Wheat Bread

Perhaps I'm clairvoyant.

Perhaps Its just coincidental.

Perhaps I'm just a wee bit insane.

It seems like lately when I do something, within an day or two I find the rest of the blogging world had the same idea.

A few months ago I was on a quest for the perfect chewy choc chip cookie recipe. I spent all day making cookies and altering recipe for perfection and then taking photo after photo to blog about my findings.

Then to my surprise, as I sat down to blog, I found several people had the same idea that week.

Lately I've been making my own bread, have been documenting the different loaves and outcome so that I can blog about the perfect bread. I get online and suddenly everyone is making their own bread now. Even members of my fam are baking bread.

I HAVE noticed that everyone has been adding wheat gluten, and dough enhancers to their recipes. This is the reason their breads have turned out so fabulous. I HAVE NOT BEEN.

The reason I am making my own bread is because I want to know what goes into my food. I am on a quest for the best recipe with clean and pure ingredients.

One of the best breads I have ever tasted has nothing but wheat, water, honey, yeast, salt.

Here is the recipe I have been experimenting with:

Combine and dissolve:

2T water and 1T yeast

Ad to the dissolved yeast:

1 1/3 c Water or Milk

1/3 c Honey

1t Salt

1/4 c Oil

3 3/4 c Freshly ground wheat

(I have used RED or WHITE- they both are fabulous)

Knead for 10-15 minutes

until the dough comes clean from the bowl.

Rise until double.

Squish and knead the ever-living-love out of the dough.

Squash it like you have never squished anything before!

Press it out and roll it up into a log tighter than a mummy bag.

Make it into a very tight loaf size ball of dough.

Place in a greased pan.

Let rise 'til at least double in size

(Once I let it rise in the fridge and got the best texture EVER!)

And I don't know why!

Bake for 35 minutes at 375 deg.

Remove from pan and let cool on a rack.

Other tips:

I originally tried it without oil and the crumb is very big - oil makes a more even texture with a smaller crumb.

I have tried adding an egg - egg makes the crumb moist but it is still big and crumbly.

I substitute 1/4c of the flour with 1/4 rolled grains or cracked grains - yummy, makes it a bit chewier.

I have added raw sunflower seeds. Yummy.

Rotating Food Storage Wheat

My Aunt is from Mexico and she makes the most delicious things! This is not her recipe, it's one her daughter made, but she just got it out of a food storage cook book. BUT this salad tastes just as much like my aunt made it as anything I have ever had! Bonus: it's a good way to rotate your wheat storage!

Basic Cooked Wheat Berries

(This basic recipe is good too, if you just ad some sugar and milk to make it 'oatmeal-ish" too!)

4 cups raw whole wheat

10 cups water

1 Tbs salt Oil

In a large Crock Pot (4 quart or larger) and fill with wheat, water, and salt. Cover and cook on low all night, 8-10 hours. Cooked wheat may be bagged and stored in the freezer for months

Fiesta Wheat and Bean Salad

1 green pepper, diced (Small/bean size)

1 orange or red pepper, diced (Small/bear size)

1 bunch of fresh cilantro leaves, chopped

1 small jalapeno pepper cored and diced(if you like it hot, don't seed or core)

Juice of one lime

3 cups cooked wheat berries

1 can corn, drained (16 oz/ or frozen corn)

1 can black beans, drained (15 oz/or Black eyed peas)

2 tsp chili powder

2 tsp cumin powder

1/4 cup cider vinegar (I like to use red wine vinegar)

1 Tbs sugar 1/2 cup vegetable oil 1 tsp salt Combine all ingredients in a bowl.

Toss well.

Chill for at least 1 hour before serving.

If you like it with more spice,

(and breath to boot!)

Add some chopped white onion or crushed garlic cloves!

You could also ad chopped tomato and diced avocado!