I want to bake bread.

[Little Shepherd]

I'm trying to learn how to cook, and I want to get this right. My first big project -- learn how to make bread from scratch. I want my bread to be healthy, so whole grains only and no sugar or artificial sweeteners(though natural stuff like honey's okay). So . . .on with the questions.

Anyone got any good recipes for whole grain breads? And any interesting recipes, like with multiple grains, or with fruit or veggies mixed in?

What's the big deal with leaven? If I don't use leaven, do I still have to let the dough sit out a while before cooking it? Does leaving it out change the flavor significantly? Does it make the bread healthier for you or worse? Can I leave it out of any bread recipe, or do unleavened breads require a special recipe?

That's about all of my bread questions for now. Once I actually make a pan or two, maybe I'll think of more.

[Mr. Tinkles]

I'll take the leaven answer.

Bread works because you mix together flour and liquid (usually water) which makes a dough. You have to use bread-making flour with a high gluten content (called 'strong flour') so that the dough doesn't collapse.

You then need something to make the bread rise - you need to put bubbles into your dough. You can use a fermenting liquid, like sour cream or things with baking powder in (like soda bread), or something gassy like beer or you can use yeast. Yeast is alive and when it is warmed up and given something sweet to eat generates nice gas to make you bread rise. The yeast needs a bit of time to get going and it needs to be kept warm, and this is called proofing the dough - you leave it to stand in a nice warm place and the yeast gets to work.

Without the raising agent you get a flat slab of concrete. Unleavened breads are almost always thin (like chapatis or roti), or cooked at very high temperatures so they puff up (like pita bread) so they don't break your teeth.

[bandecoot]

I'm trying to learn how to cook, and I want to get this right. My first big project -- learn how to make bread from scratch. I want my bread to be healthy, so whole grains only and no sugar or artificial sweeteners(though natural stuff like honey's okay). So . . .on with the questions.

Anyone got any good recipes for whole grain breads? And any interesting recipes, like with multiple grains, or with fruit or veggies mixed in?

What's the big deal with leaven? If I don't use leaven, do I still have to let the dough sit out a while before cooking it? Does leaving it out change the flavor significantly? Does it make the bread healthier for you or worse? Can I leave it out of any bread recipe, or do unleavened breads require a special recipe?

That's about all of my bread questions for now. Once I actually make a pan or two, maybe I'll think of more.

The basic recipe is here.
http://www.theologyweb.com/campus/sh...8&postcount=37

try that first then get back to me with any questions about variations on flours and that sort of thing.

[Teallaura]

Yes, bread will need to rise if you use yeast. Baking soda, not usually (soda breads).

Dunno if Bande would have run into this - Australian foodstuffs seem to be different in some respects, but use bread flour or all purpose flour. Don't grab the first thing off the shelf and really do not use cake flour or self-rising.

Unless you want to make crackers, use leavening. If you really want to make bread, go with yeast. Get good, fresh yeast and follow directions carefully - no shortcuts.

You might try something a bit easier first - muffins. Yes, they are technically bread and they don't need to rise. Additionally, you can do all the healthy stuff you were talking about (by the way, sugar isn't optional with yeast breads - it feeds the yeast). Bread making is a work intensive process (unless you use a machine) so it might not be the best way to start off learning to bake.

http://www.wikihow.com/Make-Bread

[kneel2hymn]

Okay being the official bread baker in my family. (I can't even get a way with store bought at Christmas.)

First off I would suggest that you start with a basic bread receipt for whole wheat bread. It is important if you aren't using white flour to not use one for white bread. Most people will tell you that you can't use 100% whole wheat flour because it won't rise right. That is hogwash. Knead it longer and it will rise just fine.

I wouldn't play with the yeast (leaven) part until you get several batchs of good bread by following the receipt first. Otherwise you won't know what is not working and what is. No, if you take out the yeast your bread will not taste as good. It is the yeast that gives most bread its "bread flavor".

For sweatener use honey in the same measure as sugar is listed but be prepared to increase your flour as you have just increased the liquid. You can use apple sauce in place of the fat there again you will need to add more flour.

If you don't want really sore arms use a bread machine. I tend to make mine from scratch and take out all my frustrations in the kneading process. In other words I knead it until I am too tired to knead anymore.

If you really want a healthy bread receipt I would recommend Ez. 9:11 for a list of ingredients.

[Spokoina]

Okay being the official bread baker in my family. (I can't even get a way with store bought at Christmas.)

First off I would suggest that you start with a basic bread receipt for whole wheat bread. It is important if you aren't using white flour to not use one for white bread. Most people will tell you that you can't use 100% whole wheat flour because it won't rise right. That is hogwash. Knead it longer and it will rise just fine.

I wouldn't play with the yeast (leaven) part until you get several batchs of good bread by following the receipt first. Otherwise you won't know what is not working and what is. No, if you take out the yeast your bread will not taste as good. It is the yeast that gives most bread its "bread flavor".

For sweatener use honey in the same measure as sugar is listed but be prepared to increase your flour as you have just increased the liquid. You can use apple sauce in place of the fat there again you will need to add more flour.

If you don't want really sore arms use a bread machine. I tend to make mine from scratch and take out all my frustrations in the kneading process. In other words I knead it until I am too tired to knead anymore.

If you really want a healthy bread receipt I would recommend Ez. 9:11 for a list of ingredients.

My one and only bread baking tip: Don't think you have to use alot of extra flour when you knead the bread because the dough sticks alot. After kneading the bread a small bit of time, the dough will not stick as much and the dough is not overfloured, making a wonderful bread dough.

[Little Shepherd]

Yay! Thanks for all the advice, guys.

My first official loaf of bread will be a simple loaf of whole wheat, using honey instead of regular sugar. It will take time for me to procure the ingredients. I will let you all know how it goes when I'm done, ok.

[Iluvatar]

Yay! Thanks for all the advice, guys.

My first official loaf of bread will be a simple loaf of whole wheat, using honey instead of regular sugar. It will take time for me to procure the ingredients. I will let you all know how it goes when I'm done, ok.

When you get a basic bread under your belt, come on back and I'll give you an easy honey-wheat-oat bread recipe that everyone here raves about. Its simple, uses honey and molasses, whole wheat flour, white flour, olive oil, and regular oatmeal. I make all kinds of bread - from buttermilk white to pumpernickel and various rye breads - and I think this one is the best. You only have to knead it for 9 minutes........

[Teallaura]

Yay! Thanks for all the advice, guys.

My first official loaf of bread will be a simple loaf of whole wheat, using honey instead of regular sugar. It will take time for me to procure the ingredients. I will let you all know how it goes when I'm done, ok.

[Lisa Hejazi]

A dough conditioner will help give your bread a terrific texture; you may buy this commercially, but I use instant mashed potato flakes (1 cup per 6 cups flour) with the same great results. Good luck.

[Little Shepherd]

When you get a basic bread under your belt, come on back and I'll give you an easy honey-wheat-oat bread recipe that everyone here raves about. Its simple, uses honey and molasses, whole wheat flour, white flour, olive oil, and regular oatmeal. I make all kinds of bread - from buttermilk white to pumpernickel and various rye breads - and I think this one is the best. You only have to knead it for 9 minutes........

Do you have an alternate recipe without the white flour? I want to stay away from that and only use whole grains and whole grain flours.

[kneel2hymn]

You should be able to safely substitute either wheat flour or oatflour for the white. I do it all the time without trouble most wheat reciepts call for some white because it makes for a lighter bread but I have never had trouble substituting.

[Iluvatar]

Nah, I don't believe in all that "no white flour" baloney. If you're using whole grains and it has some good quality unbleached white flour in it, you are not hurting yourself. I use Bob's Red Mill unbleached hard red winter wheat white flour. Its incredibly high quality.

I make almost all my breads with whole grains, but not exclusively. I use only honey and molasses for sweeteners, and olive oil for shortening. That's wholesome enough without the dryness / heaviness of using exclusively whole grain ingredients. If you are really concerned about white flour, I'm sure you can substitute oat flour for the white as kneel2hymn suggests. But nutritionally, it makes little difference........and you are more likely to be happy with the texture of the bread with a little white in it.

I'll post the recipe here another time, and you can see if you like.....

[Little Shepherd]

Okay, so I have all my ingredients ready to mix, and I'm reading over Bande's recipe above, and . . . there's no temperature listed in the cooking section. Isn't that kind of important?

Nevermind. It looks like Bande's recipe isn't going to work anyway. It calls for a whole kilo of flour, and I measured out over 2 cups and only broke 8.5 oz. A whole kilo is going to be over 8 cups, and that's way too much for a loaf.

Bummer. Other than being way too much, and lacking a cooking temperature, it sounds like an easy enough recipe.

[Teallaura]

Hmmm, usually around 350 to 400F. I'd go 350 and see how that does. If it isn't done by the time it should be, up the temp to 400 and check it every 15 minutes thereafter.