Whole Wheat White??

I started out baking white bread because the recipe is simple, tasty and the dough is very easy and satisfying to work with. From there I wanted to try whole wheat(to which I will refer to as WW from here on out). Most people start with a mixture somewhere around 60/40% of WW to all-purpose flour or bread flour and work their way up to 100%. This is because the dough rises much better and is easier to punch down, fold, and shape. By sheer luck my first 100% WW loaf turned out great but it took me a very long time and several attempts to duplicate that result. 100% WW bread tastes great and is good for you but it is a pain to work with! If you’ve never had the pleasure, give it a shot.

The reason I brought this up is because I recently saw this bag in the grocery store…

Whole wheat nutrition with white flour appeal? What!?? This was very exciting for me as someone who had so much trouble with whole wheat for so long, and let me tell you, I was not disappointed. The dough was WAY easier to work with, the finished bread was similar in texture to white(soft and airy), but it had all the raw, bready, and earthy flavor of 100% WW. I also made a 40% poolish that ripened(fermented) for 18 hours before mixing which really enhanced the flavor. A pre-ferment can help almost any style of bread develop amazing flavor.

First I will post the recipe then the pics below that.

100% Whole Wheat White

Poolish:

• 2 cups flour
• 1 3/4 cups water
• pinch of yeast

Dough:

• 3 cups flour
• 2 tsp Kosher Salt
• 3 1/2 Tbsp Sugar
• 1 pkg. + leftover yeast from the pinch (I use Fleischmann’s Rapid Rise because you can easily mix it into the dry ingredients)
• 1/2 cup milk
• 4 Tbsp Butter
• Poolish

Allow 2 rise periods if you can and bake for 25-30 minutes in 400 degree F oven.  Here are the pics…

 

I know it has been all bread so far, but fear not, brew day is coming! I am gathering ingredients now and will have plenty of pics from my next batch of beer. Maybe one day I’ll even go back and post some from my previous batches.

Enjoy the Whole Wheat White!

Let’s get started!

I have been brewing my own beer for about two years and baking my own bread for one. Over the past couple of years these two hobbies(obsessions?..Passions.) have all but consumed my thoughts. I am constantly planning my next batch or my next loaf. I definitely recommend everyone try them at least once but caution you at the same time…they are fun,tasty, and at times(depending on your ingredients) not-so-low calorie hobbies! 

A family member recently suggested that I start a blog. Before that point, I had used a few recipes from blogs but had never actively followed any. I didn’t(and still don’t) know much about them, so I guess we’ll see if that works out to anyone’s benefit.

I thought to myself, even though I don’t know much about blogging, I do love to write, I love to brew, I love to bake, and I love making mistakes. Ok, maybe I don’t love making mistakes, but they are inevitable and I do love the idea that someone else may benefit from mine!

One other thing that attracted me to blogging is the fact that I will be able to give credit where it is due. When I use a product or find an amazing recipe that tastes great  or makes things easier, I can talk about it here and let everyone know how awesome it is!

On that note, I would like to start my blog with a couple of pictures of my very first loaf of bread ever! It is a great tasting, easy recipe from the folks over at thesimpledollar.com. I’ll include the link for anyone who wants to read it. This is the one that got me started. Now go out there and start baking your first loaf! Enjoy!

http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2007/11/04/homemade-bread-cheap-delicious-healthy-and-easier-than-you-think/