Bread Recipe

As requested, here is the bread recipe I use with my wheat grinder and Bosch mixer. It is from Denise at the country baker, though the recipe that is linked is slightly different than the one I use. She must have updated it! I'll have to give that one a try, though we love our current one.

Grind 12 cups of Prairie Gold wheat (or whichever wheat berries you prefer - just be sure they are hard wheat berries as opposed to soft wheat, which does not require yeast and is used for quick breads and desserts). My wheat grinder will only grind 8 cups at once, so I have to grind twice. Of course you can use store bought whole wheat flour in this recipe if you don't have a wheat grinder.

In Bosch mixer (or very large bowl, if you don't have a mixer) pour 5 cups of warm water. Then add in this order:

1 1/4 cup oil (I use EVOO)
1 cup honey
8 cups flour
5 tsp salt (I use sea salt)
1 T lecithin granules (optional - this acts as a natural preservative and adds freshness)
1 T dough enhancer (optional - this helps give it a nice texture but I have left it out and the bread still turns out great)
2 1/2 T SAF yeast (this is professional baking yeast, not the kind in the little yellow packets at your local grocery store)

Turn mixer on (or stir thoroughly if not using a mixer) and watch for ingredients to be well mixed. Add 1 cup of flax seeds (optional). Gradually add 3-4 additional cups of flour until dough begins to pull away from the sides of the bowl and the sides of the bowl look "clean". When this happens, set a timer for 4 minutes and let the mixer knead the dough for that amount of time. If you are kneading by hand, turn dough onto lightly floured surface and knead for 20 minutes. When time is up, pour dough onto countertop and form into long roll. Cut roll into fourths and put each fourth into a greased bread pan. Pinch the sides down so that the center will bake into a slightly rounded top. This looks so nice when baking is done! Set aside and let rise for one hour. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

One additional reason I love this bread is that it contains no dairy products, so it can be eaten by our little friend Micah whom we babysit a couple times a month and who has a severe dairy allergy. My husband, who is lactose intolerant, can also eat it with no ill effects.