Daily Bread Baking – how hard can it be? With the right flour, it’s easy! Tracking down non-hybridized wheat or ancient wheat varieties grown and processed in the United States without the use of unnecessary chemicals and not sprayed with glyphosate (think Roundup) at harvest is much harder than it should be. But i found a couple sources.
The most recent and i’m very excited about this one is from Sunrise Flour Mill in North Branch, Minnesota. Mrs. Glanville pointed out in her quick response to my question via their website that she and her husband are the millers, not growers. Yet, her husband takes the time to visit and vet the growers from whom they purchase the Red Turkey variety of wheat they use.
So, when my flour arrived, i found the above recipe and set about making the bread. I made a loaf and it did not rise as i thought it should. I had weighed my ingredients and had the water just right. I broke the rules by using my Kitchenaid Mixer with dough hook for kneading. However, the loaf was excellent taste and disappeared quickly.
Another stab at it, but i increased the yeast to 1 tsp vs 1/2 tsp like before, but this time i kneaded by hand. Same result as before.
The third time was a charm and resulted in a stunningly attractive and delicious loaf. I got this now. What did i do differently? Below is my recipe.
HERITAGE YEAST BREAD
Ingredients:
- 3 ½ cups (1lb or 450 g) Heritage White or Bread Blend Flour Weighing ingredients is the most accurate way to bake.
- 1-2 tsp Sea Salt
- 1 1/3 cup lukewarm tap water (10- 12 oz (300 G)Chlorine-Free Water 75-80 degrees F
- 1 tbsp Active Dry Yeast
Instructions:
Mixing and Kneading
Using a large spoon or fork, stir the liquid into the flour. When all the water has been added it will be a rather sticky lump. With wet hands, knead the dough by pushing, pulling and stretching it. After kneading for a few minutes, the dough will become less sticky and wet, beginning to look like a bread dough. Go ahead and grab a bit more flour to alleviate stickiness if needed.
Proofing
Cover and let sit on the counter for 1- 2 hours. This is proofing time (the dough is rising). It will rise more quickly if the kitchen temperature is 70+F. if it is less than 70 F it will take longer which is the reason for the 1-2 hour range.
Final Proofing
Now the dough needs to be handled gently so as to not deflate it. Round it up and shape it into an oblong loaf. Place in a bread pan that has been oiled with both butter and olive oil. Use this combination for best release. Cover the dough to keep it from drying out. Leave it on the counter and let it proof while the oven heats, about 30-45 minutes.
Baking
Preheat oven to 375 F.
Place dough in the preheated oven and bake for about 35-45 minutes.