Homemade Bread

Yesterday I promised you that I would share my recipe for homemade bread.  So here it is!!!  Can't wait to share.

I LOVE the smell of fresh homemade bread baking in my oven.  It's so scrumptious to have a hot piece dripping with butter, YUM!  I have some baking in there right now and I can't wait to enjoy it.

I thought about doing a full picture tutorial for this post, but decided that it would be too difficult to explain bread making in pictures.  If you haven't made your own bread before, it is very hard to do an effective tutorial without having the person right there with you.  So I'm just going to give you the recipe and hope that you have either made bread or have someone who can help you figure it out!!

This is my mom's famous bread recipe.

Whole Wheat Bread

4 cups warm water (105 to 110 degrees)
1/4 cup brown sugar or honey
2 T. yeast
4 tsp. salt
1/3 cup canola or olive oil
2 cups unbleached white flour
 whole wheat flour

Combine warm water and sweetening; sprinkle or gently stir yeast into mixture.  Let foam (5-10 min).  Add salt, oil, and white flour.  Gradually add whole wheat flour, mixing first with a wire wisk, then a wooden spoon.  When unable to mix, turn onto table and knead with hands.  Knead until stiff dough-dough should pop back when pressed.  Let rise in oiled bowl, cover with towel.  Let rise 50 minutes in warm place.  Punch  down; knead for a couple of minutes (may need to sprinkle additional flour while kneading dough still sticky).  Divide dough into four parts.  Form loaves, place in non-stick bread pans (8 1/2 x 4 1/2 x 2 1/2).  Let rise again for 20 minutes. Bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes, then 350 degrees for 15 minutes, and 325 for 5 minutes.

Ok, so that's my mom's recipe she gave me.  I have a few things I really need to try to explain though, or you may have some wild looking bread when you are done. ha!

Here are my tips:
I use brown sugar for sweetening.  
The flour ends up being about 9-11 cups of flour in all.  You are supposed to add whole wheat flour {after the two cups of white flour are added], till the texture is just right, SO NOT A SPECIFIC AMOUNT.  {I use four cups of whole wheat flour and then add the rest white for a lighter texture.  I usually end up using about 9 cups of flour altogether, my mom uses 11.  We are not sure exactly why that is...it could be our climates differences.}
Once you start kneading the bread, I like to set my timer for 8 minutes to make sure I knead it long enough.  Just something I prefer doing.  It may not work for you.  
When you let the bread rise for the second time in the loaf pans, it may take a little longer than 20 minutes for the loaves to rise.  I try to make sure that they double in size.  Just make sure not to leave them for too long or they will flop. (If that happens, you can always punch them down and raise the loaves again.)
Also, I like to separate the dough into three sections instead of four.  I just like larger loaves than my mom does.  

Hope that wasn't TOO confusing.  Like I said before, hopefully you have made bread before or have someone to help you figure this out!  It is an extremely YUMMY recipe if you can get it just right!! 
 

Enjoy your day and hope you enjoy making your bread!