(Note: Since I sold the batch of bread used in this example blog post, I couldn't slice it and had no time before I sold it to take it out of the pans and take a professional picture. So the picture above is a stock photo. It is not a very realistic representation of what the bread in this post will look like when it comes out. :D)
So many people have asked me for this recipe, (even more than the lip balm recipe!) and I am so excited to finally share it! Originally, this recipe was taken from the Bread Becker's recipe book, but over the years I have modified it considerably. For more information on why grinding your grain fresh and using it right away has great health benefits, I highly recommend Bread Becker's website, www.breadbeckers.com. (This would be a great place to start - Wheat Belly: Fact Or Fiction?) I really appreciate Bread Becker's biblical worldview.
{This post is unique - I included several fun things in it besides the bread recipe - keep an eye out! Also, make sure to read to the very end to catch a super exciting announcement!!!!}
Without further adieu, the bread recipe!
You will need:
13 cups of wheat berries
(optional) 1 cup of flax seeds. If you omit this, you may be able to use a half cup less water.
5 Eggs
2 TBSP + 2 teaspoons Salt
1/8 cup Sunflower Lecithin
1 1/4 cup oil
1 1/4 cup honey
6 cups of hot water
2 + 1/2 TBSP yeast
If you don't have all these ingredients, don't worry. I will provide links to where I get a lot of these items at the bottom. Also, many of these items can be substituted, and I will explain more about that later.
Note: The following instructions are written out like I was writing it to myself. You may want to change some of these things - for example, I say to grind 8 cups and then 5 cups, but you might have a different grinder than I do, and could do it all at once, or have to break it down even further.
This recipe makes 5 loaves of bread.
Dump the eggs, salt, lecithin, oil, and honey into a mixing bowl.
Grind 5 cups of Hard Red Wheat berries or Hard White Wheat berries and set aside in a bowl.
By the way, this is the grinder I use. It's called a Wonder Mill. I love it!! It grinds super fast and is quite quiet.
Grind 8 cups of Hard Red Wheat berries or Hard White Wheat berries and the one cup of flax, and set aside in a bowl.
Dump 6 cups of hot water into a bowl (or a pan, in my case.) I always get my water straight out of the tap. It should be hot to the touch. You should be able to feel a slight tingle. To clarify, it is important that the water is not too hot though. This can kill the yeast. Do not boil the water if possible - just turn on the tap, wait until the water is pretty hot (above warm, but not HOT) then put your measuring cup underneath and get the amount you need.
It definitely varies depending on where you live and what season it is. :D But right now I do 6. You'll want to experiment with it and see what works best. I have found that if I put more water in, it will be fluffier, lighter, and will rise easier. But mine rises quite enough already, so six is just perfect.
Dump in 2 + 1/2 Tablespoons of yeast.
Whisk it thoroughly.
Pour it into the egg mixture.
At this point, I attach the mixing bowl to the Bosch foundation and turn it on. Pour in the bowl of wheat that you ground first (5 cups of berries.)
Now I pour the mixture (that is starting to look like dough!) into a different bowl, that can mix stiffer batters, and I pour in the rest of the flour and the flax. (9 cups of grain total. 8 wheat + 1 flax.)
Set the timer for 12 minutes and let it mix.
It's a tradition for me to play piano during these twelve minutes, so I thought I'd include a clip of one of my recent favorites - How Blest Is He Whose Trespass. :D If you hear a bit of humming, that's because my little siblings were the production crew and one of them decided to hum along for a spell. :D
When the timer rings, the dough should look something like this. :D
Slide it into the oven. Put it on the lowest rack possible, and turn the oven on 350 for 2 minutes. Just 2 minutes. This gets it warmed up a little, so the bread will rise.
When that's done, set the timer for 30 minutes. This is the first rise.
(In case you're wondering, I do Bible Bee study during these 30 minutes. :D)
When the timer rings, HURRY!! This bread rises so quickly!! Open the oven door and let it cool.
Oil 5 bread pans. You only want a little bit of oil. I got too much in this picture. My brother tells me that it's strange, but if you use too much oil, dough will stick to whatever surface you're using. He's right, of course. He always is. :D If I get too much, I just pour it into the next pan.
Make sure to spread the oil to all the sides. (Pardon the earbuds. One must simply multitask Bible study and bread these days!)
Pull out the mixing blade. That wouldn't taste good.
Weigh the dough into five equal portions. If you don't have a scale, just eyeball it. I use a scale because I often sell it, and I want to make sure my customers get what they paid for - if someone gets more than they paid for, someone else gets less. If you do have a scale, my dough portions usually weight about 2 pounds and 3 ounces.
I'll need a lot of pictures to explain this part. This is how to form the loaves:
Rock the dough back and forth until it forms a longish cylinder.
Lift up the ends...
Fold them together on the top...
Pat it...
Roll it...
Mark it with a B....... Just kidding. :D Plop it into a nicely oiled bread pan. :D
Push it down...
Beautiful!!!
Here's a video, made about a year later, showing how I form the loaves:
This is how I put the bread in the oven - 3 in the back, angled, and two in the front. I angle them in the back because for some reason they rise better when they are angled as opposed to when they are straight. Don't ask me why. Oh, and you'll want to raise the rack to the second to highest setting.
Bake 350 for 2 minutes to warm the oven for the second rise.
Let it rise for 20 minutes.
Bake at 345 for 37 minutes.
Glorious!! Oh, you won't believe how WONDERFUL this bread tastes!! Especially when it first comes out and is warm and you spread it thick with butter. SO delicious!!!
Sometimes I also make cinnamon swirl bread by rolling out the bread like you would a pizza crust (except I roll it into a long rectangle, not a circle,) buttering it, putting honey + cinnamon on it (and sometimes sugar, especially if I'm giving it away as a gift) rolling it up and putting it into a pan like normal.
Usually a loaf of bread lasts us about half a day to a day.
Cinnamon loaves last us about 10 minutes max!! :D
Cool for about 10 - 20 minutes on cookie racks, then promptly remove from the pans. Otherwise the steam will build up underneath and the bread will become soggy. Slice and enjoy!
Some of the ingredients are slightly uncommon. Here are those items, and I linked to where I buy them from:
Sunflower Lecithin is used to make the bread light and fluffy, and to help it rise. Substitutes for sunflower Lecithin are Indian Gooseberry, Rose Hips, Citric Acid, and Ginger Powder. None of them really change the taste, except Rosehips. They will make it slightly more nutty and sour tasting, and if you put 2 tsps of Citric Acid in instead of 1 (like I did once) it will taste quite sour! If you're going to substitute for lecithin, I'd suggest using ONE of the following ingredients or combinations:
1 TBSP Rose Hips,
2 tsp Indian Gooseberry
1 tsp Citric Acid + 1 tsp Ginger Powder
Now for that announcement I promised you!
*drumroll please...*
I am now selling my photos!!!! *throws confetti and cameras.*
You can buy them here,
or here
or here.
The exciting thing is that you can also buy them framed (with all kinds of different options!) or on notebooks, mugs, rugs, towels, cards, shower curtains, pillows, T-shirts, hand bags, etc., etc., etc., Or you can just buy the picture.
I think my favorites are the notebooks, mugs, pillows, and cards. :D They would make great gifts! I can hardly think of a better gift for someone who appreciates photos for Christmas than a mug/notebook/pillow with a wintery scene on it. :D
Even if you don't buy anything, you can support me by clicking the links and viewing my items. It will raise my views. You could also consider sharing the page with friends. :D
Did you like my sales pitch?
Now I want to hear from you:
- Did you make this bread recipe?
- Do you plan to make it?
- Have you heard of the Bible Bee?
- Are you gluten free? If so, why?
- What are some of your favorite ways to multi-task?
Have a great day!
~ Kina
P.S. If you have any questions about this recipe, please don't hesitate to contact me through my contact page - I will do my best to answer!