Whole Wheat Bread

I have been grinding my own wheat and baking bread for over a year now. I love it and will never quit! This is that story. One day I went to a friend's house and she said, "I'm nearly out of bread so I need to make some. Wanna join me in the kitchen?" So, off we went. I watched as she ground the wheat and made the bread and then about an hour later we tasted the best bread I had ever eaten! I couldn't believe it was whole wheat! I couldn't believe it was so easy! I couldn't believe my children were asking for seconds. I asked how she got started and she told me of a local woman who teaches cooking classes in her home. In the meantime, due to our expressed interest, we were given a Nutrimill grinder for Christmas. I looked at it. I loved it. But I didn't really know what to do with it. So, off we went to the cooking class. There we learned how to make bread, focaccia and even cinnamon rolls with our whole wheat flour. We scrimped and saved and scoured the furniture for all the cash we could find and purchased on of my most favorite machines in the house! The Bosch Universal mixer! Whoo hoo! Now I had all the machines, I just had to bite the bullet and do it. So, we bought some bread pans, yeast, and wheat and began our experiment.

Really all it took was doing it! Truly, I grind the wheat in the grinder, put all the ingredients in the mixer and mix it up for about 5 minutes. I separate it into about 5 loaves (a little over 1 lb each) and let it rise for about 20 minutes. No punching, kneading, etc. Once it rises I put it in the oven for about 20 minutes and we have the best tasting, super nutritious bread for less than you pay at the store for something comparable. You can get creative. You can add other grains such as millet, spelt, etc. We are sort of "plain jane" around here so we don't do any add ins. We do, however, make cinnamon rolls and pizza out of our whole wheat dough. I also make whole wheat pancakes and waffles. I have made numerous breads and desserts with the whole wheat flour.

I said before I will never go back. I was afraid that if we spent all that money I would try it and get tired of it and go back to buying the white nastiness off the shelf at the store. But, because this is truly so easy, I will never give it up! I make several loaves at a time and put them in the freezer for later. I've even sold a few to friends. the only thing I regret is not finding out about it sooner.