There’s Nothing Like Homemade Bread

WHITE BREAD:

Add the following ingredients to a Bosch mixer:

6 cups warm water
¼ cup yeast
1 cup sugar
½ cup honey

Cover and let sit in the Bosch for 5 minutes.

Then add:

¾ cup olive oil
⅛ teaspoon salt
Flour—as much as needed until the dough completely pulls away from the sides of the bowl.

Don't add all of the flour at once. Start with about 9 cups, adding it one cup at a time and watching the dough as you go. Continue adding flour until the dough completely pulls away from the sides of the bowl.

Cover and knead on low for 8 minutes.

Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl, cover with a thin cloth, and allow it to rise for about 1 hour, or until doubled in size.

Punch down the center of the dough.

Remove it from the bowl and divide into 5 loaves, approximately 23 ounces of dough per loaf.

Shape and place into loaf pans.

Cover and allow the loaves to rise for another 1 hour.

And this time...

DO NOT TOUCH!

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

There you have it.

Five beautiful loaves of homemade white bread.

WHEAT BREAD:

I also love making 100% whole wheat bread. It's healthy, nutrient-rich, and especially delicious while it's still warm from the oven.

There was just one problem.

By the next day, my beautiful homemade whole wheat bread wasn't so beautiful anymore because it began to crumble.

And I dislike crumbly bread very much.

I wanted to figure out how to make 100% whole wheat bread with that same soft consistency you get from store-bought bread.

So how could I alter the texture?

Well, I simply added sour cream to my bread recipe.

It worked!

Now I have what I would consider the perfect loaf of whole wheat bread.

If you already have a favorite whole wheat bread recipe, try adding anywhere from ¼ to ⅓ cup sour cream and see what you think.

Here's the recipe I use:

100% Whole Wheat Bread

6 cups warm water
2 Tbsp. salt
⅔ cup canola oil
⅔ cup honey
3 Tbsp. dough enhancer
⅓ cup vital wheat gluten
3 Tbsp. instant yeast
¼ cup sour cream
Approximately 10–11 cups freshly ground whole wheat flour

Keep adding flour until the dough begins to pull away from the sides of the bowl.

Optional: Add 1 cup of a prepared 14-grain mix.

Or make your own:

1 cup nine-grain cracked cereal
1 cup sunflower seeds
⅓ cup millet
⅓ cup flaxseed
⅓ cup sesame seeds
⅓ cup amaranth

This makes 5+ loaves of bread. You'll need a Bosch or another mixer capable of handling this much dough.

In Case You Need a Little Guidance...

Add the ingredients to the Bosch mixer bowl, starting with about 2 cups of flour.

Turn the mixer to speed 1 and continue adding whole wheat flour until the dough begins to pull away from the sides of the bowl. When the sides pull clean and the dough begins coming clean from the bottom of the bowl, you know you have enough flour.

The dough should still be slightly sticky at this point.

Knead on speed 1 for 8–10 minutes, or until the gluten has developed.

If the dough seems too dry, add a few tablespoons of water. If it's too sticky, add a little more flour.

Oil your hands and remove the dough from the mixer onto a lightly oiled counter. Divide into 5 loaves.

Shape the loaves and place them in well-greased or sprayed loaf pans. If you'd like, brush the tops with an egg wash made from 1 egg + 2 tablespoons water and sprinkle with oats.

Cover with a clean, dry towel and allow the loaves to rise until doubled in size, about 30–60 minutes.

Bake in a preheated 350-degree oven for 30–35 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches about 200 degrees.

Cool completely on cooling racks before placing in bread bags.

White or wheat...

There's just nothing like homemade bread.