Basic Real Bread

If you are new to bread baking, I highly recommend attending a bread making class. Bread is a learned skill and is difficult to master without observing secrets from a master bread baker. Bread baking can be easy given the right tools and technique.

Disclaimer: I have a Bosch Universal Plus Mixer. It is the kitchen standard for mixing large batches of whole-wheat bread dough. If you are brave enough to use this recipe and knead by hand, than I trust you know what you are getting yourself into. If you have a Kitchen Aid mixer, proceed at your own risk. Do not try to make more than 2 loaves worth of this recipe at a time with a Kitchen Aid. Do not use a speed for kneading greater than speed 2 with a Kitchen Aid. Read your owners manual!

This recipe makes (6) 1.83 lb loaves. If you are scaling this recipe down because you do not yet own a Bosch mixer or because you would like to make less, just do the math accordingly.

The loaf pans I use are pyrex 1.5 quart loaf pans. They are 8.5″ x 4.5″. 1.83 lbs of dough makes a perfect whole wheat loaf in this pan if prepared properly.

If your loaf pans are bigger or smaller in size, do the following to know how much dough you should put in each pan:

1. Find out the volume of water your loaf pan will hold in quarts.
2. Divide your pan volume by 1.5 quarts and multiply it times 1.83 lbs.
3. This new number will be the amount of dough you will divide and place into each of your similar sized loaf pans.

You will need the following ingredients:

1. About 6.3 lbs of whole wheat flour  (Use a Nutrimill to grind your own wheat berries.
   (For a multi-grain bread replace 150 – 200 grams of cracked grains for flour (brown rice, different varieties of wheat berries, oat groats, quinoa, flax seeds, barley, chia seeds, etc…)
2. Water – 1720 grams (7 1/2 cups) (use water that doesn’t taste bad – in Arizona this means filtered).
3. Instant or Bread machine Yeast (Also referred to as Rapid Rise) – 27 grams (2 Tablespoons + 2 teaspoons).
4. Organic Coconut Oil – 144 grams (3/4 cups) (You could also use butter from Grass-fed cows, organic olive oil, or another oil of your choice)
5. Raw Local Honey – 225 grams (3/4 cups)
6. Bragg’s Raw Organic Apple cider vinegar – 60 grams (3 Tablespoons) (You could also use Lemon juice, any other vinegar, kefir, or cultured buttermilk.)
7. Real Salt – 49 grams (2 Tablespoons plus 1.5 teaspoons)

Add water to a  sauce pan and heat on the stove to a temperature of 105 – 110F (I will usually just stir it all around with my hand with the stove on high heat until it becomes almost too hot for my hand. Your hand will start to burn at >110F and you can start to kill the yeast at around 118F).

This is a slightly larger recipe that includes about 12 bread muffins.

This recipe makes (6) 1.75 lb loaves. plus an extra 1.2 lbs that I usually make into (12) 0.1 lb bread muffins (the kids love these, and to be honest, so do I). If you are scaling this recipe down because you do not yet own a Bosch mixer or because you would like to make less, just do the math accordingly.

The loaf pans I use are pyrex 1.5 quart loaf pans. They are 8.5″ x 4.5″. 1.75 lbs of dough makes a perfect whole wheat loaf in this pan if prepared properly.

You will need the following ingredients:

1. About 6 – 7 lbs of whole wheat flour (Use a Nutrimill to grind your own wheat berries.
2. 8 cups of water (1815 Grams) (use a water that doesn’t taste bad – in Arizona this means filtered).
3. 3 Tablespoons of Instant (or bread machine) Yeast
4. 3 Tablespoons of Bragg’s Raw Organic Apple cider vinegar (You can use Lemon juice, any other vinegar, kefir, or cultured buttermilk.)
5. 3/4 cups (160 grams) of Organic Coconut oil (Butter from Grass-fed cows, organic olive oil, or another oil of your choice)
6. 3/4 cups (250 grams) of Raw Local Honey
7. 2 Tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons of Sea Salt or Himalayan Pink Salt

Add water to a  sauce pan and heat on the stove to a temperature of 105 – 110F (I will usually just stir it all around with my hand with the stove on high heat until it becomes almost too hot for my hand. Your hand will start to burn at >110F and you can start to kill the yeast at around 118F).

Quickly start adding additional flour (1 cup at a time) until a sticky dough is formed (The dough will clean the sides of the bowl when it is the right amount of flour).