Friday, December 21, 2012

Honey Wheat Bread with Flaxseed Meal


I love having toast in the morning with an egg, or even just by itself with some homemadebutter. Making your own bread is something I think everybody shoud do.
It's easy! Seriously, if you just follow directions and you have a thermometer, it is not hard to make.
It is also cheaper than buying it at the store.
If your excuse is that you are busy, then you can make this on a weekend. If you make a double batch, you can slice the 2nd loaf and freeze it for another time, or just give it to someone you love.
Obviously the most important reason for making it yourself, you can choose what goes in it.
Let's also not forget how amazing it is to have a slice of warm bread just out of the oven that you made yourself!
I make this bread in my stand mixer but you definitely don't need one to do it. I've made bread by hand before and it came out exactly the same.







This recipe is adapted from All Recipes. I take everything out that I need and then measure out all ingredients.

Ingredients
-2 cups of warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
-1 tablespoon active dry yeast
-1/3 cup honey
-2 cups of whole wheat flour
-1/2 cup flaxseed meal
-1 teaspoon salt
-1/3 cup vegetable oil
-4 1/2 cups all purpose flour

Directions
-Sprinkle the yeast on top of the warm water. I always use my thermometer to find out the temperature.



-Wait for it to bubble up and get foamy.


-In a measuring cup, add your oil and honey. If you measure the 2 together (or measure the oil first, add it and then measure the honey) it's easier to get the honey out of the dish. To the yeast and water mixture add the honey, oil, whole wheat flour, flaxseed meal and salt. Mix well.





-Work in the all-purpose flour gradually.



-Switch to dough hook if you’re using a stand mixer after adding half the all purpose flour or when you notice it's harder to mix.



-Knead for about 10 minutes with the dough hook. I sometimes like to turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead it myself. When I do it that way, I add about 5 extra minutes to the kneading time.


-When dough is smooth and elastic (if you put your finger in it, it will spring back up), place it in a well oiled bowl.




-Turn it several times in the bowl to coat the surface of the dough, and cover with a damp cloth.


-Let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, about 45 minutes to an hour.


-Punch down the dough. Shape into two loaves, and place into two well greased 9 x 5 inch loaf pans.


-Allow to rise until dough is 1 to 1 1/2 inches above pans. You don't want to let it rise too much because then when your bread goes in the oven, it will deflate.


-Bake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for 25 to 30 minutes.


-Let them cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Then let them cool completely on a wire rack.



-Done! Look how beautiful they are. I usually will slice both loaves, place them in a plastic freezer bag and just put that in the freezer. That way when I want bread, all I have to do is take out however many slices I want and put it in the toaster. I also don't have to worry about it getting moldy.

Yields 2 loaves, serving size: 1/12 of loaf each
Nutritional info for 1/12: About 171 calories

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