Honey Wheat Bread
There are a few raspberries still clinging to life, and because I am who I am, I have to go out each and every morning and gather what I can. Today’s gleanings measured in at just under one cup–just enough to nibble on with my breakfast. For lunch there’s a bit more gnocchi in the freezer–leftover from last Friday’s exploits. Maybe I’ll have them, tossed in a pan with some brown butter and sage. These are all fringe things, of course, to what is really going on, and what is really going on is that I’m making a loaf (or two, we’ll so how this dough comes out) of honey wheat bread. The flour was just ground this morning from itsy-bitsy red hard spring wheat berries. There’s a bit of a story there. Several years ago, I went to a homeschooling convention in Cincinnati, and at this convention there is a room full of vendors selling books, mostly. And, since I’m a lover of books, I went into said room and stayed awhile. Much to the surprise of those I was traveling with (and myself, too, really) I didn’t buy a single book. Instead, I lugged out of there a massive grain mill. From a homeschooling convention. Go figure.
Well, today I was thinking that since I have the mill and I have the wheat berries, I should make some bread. So, that is just what I did.
Twenty ounces of flour (it’s better if it’s weighed vs. measured) combining both freshly ground wheat and all-purpose (about 2/3 all purpose, 1/3 freshly ground) was placed in a mixer, along with one and a half teaspoons salt, two teaspoons instant yeast, two ounces raw honey, two and a quarter ounces grapeseed oil, and twelve ounces warmed milk. This was mixed until just combined with the paddle attachment, and once it was combined, the paddle was replaced by the dough hook and left to knead for five minutes or so. Once this was done and done well, the dough was removed from the bowl, formed into a ball, and left to rest on a grapeseed oil rubbed counter for an hour and a half. It was covered with a bowl so that a skin didn’t form–and to keep those nasty flies away. Am I the only one who has to deal with these?
After the hour and a half is up, the dough will be examined. Will it make two small loafs or one large? I’m not sure yet. But for the sake of this writing, we’ll go with the one large. That will be formed and dropped into a large (and greased) loaf pan and covered with a towel and left to rest by itself for a(nother) hour and a half. Once this is completed, it will be set in a pre-heated three hundred and fifty degree oven where it will happily bake away until it becomes the golden-brown loaf of bread it’s always dreamed of being. Oh. You want a time. An actual time? Well, since I’ve yet to bake it, I don’t have one to give. But. I can tell you I will be checking my bread after forty minutes–or if the kitchen starts to smell like Heaven.
