Grain of Truth Bread Company

I'll try to have more recipes up soon. For now, here's our favorite, which uses common ingredients and is easy to make..

Favorite Wheat Bread

1. In largest mixing bowl, put half of the flour. Add the yeast. If using vital gluten or ground flax seed, add those too. Stir.

2. If desired, heat water for a couple of minutes. (I usually skip heating the water; if you don’t heat it, the dough just takes a little longer to rise.)

3. Make a well in the center of the flour. Crack in the eggs.

4. Add oil, honey, hot water, and lecithin (if using that). Don’t put the salt in yet. Mix well with spoon.

5. Cover bowl with a towel and let sit on the counter or in a cool oven for 30-60 minutes to "sponge."

6. Now add the rest of the flour and also the salt. Stir and then knead by hand for 10-15 minutes, using a placemat or towel under the bowl so the bowl doesn’t scrape up the counter.  If using a mixer let it knead the dough for 10-12 min. I have found I can knead a x5 recipe by hand without too much trouble. Enlist your kids.

7. Spray spray bottom and sides of bread pans with cooking oil. If you like you can spray the top of the dough and sides of bowl with cooking oil spray to avoid drying out the dough during rising. I usually forget to do that.

8. Cover bowl and let rise in warm place (counter or cool oven, again) for about an hour, until doubled.

9. Wash countertop and flour it lightly. Get out rolling pin.

10. With floured hands, divide dough into equal amounts (5 lumps for x5 recipe, etc.) On lightly floured surface, roll each lump into a rectangle and then roll up from one short end to the other.

11. Place each loaf in its bread pan, seam side down. Cover and let rise again in a warm place for about another hour, until the tops are 1-2 inches above the pan.

12. I have found it doesn’t work well in my oven to bake more than 3 loaves at a time. If you are doing a x5 recipe, consider making rolls with the extra 2 loaves-worth of bread; see directions in Comments section.

13. Put loaves in cool oven and turn the oven on to bake at 350 degrees. Set timer for 35-38 minutes, depending on the temperature and humidity in your house. (Winter takes longer.) Be careful not to bang the pans in the oven or the loaves will fall. Also be careful not to overbake!!

14. When you think they might be done, take one loaf out of pan and slice through the middle of the loaf with a bread knife, carefully. Make sure it is cooked all the way through. If it is doughy inside put all the loaves back in the oven and cook longer.

15. When they are done, take them out of the pans within a few minutes to prevent the sides from getting soggy. Use a spatula if necessary to loosen them from the pans.

16. Place on cooling rack to cool for 20 minutes. Cover with a dish towel while cooling to soften sides.

17. When mostly cooled place in zipper freezer bags. Freeze immediately if not using right away.

Notes:

To use frozen bread, thaw on counter or 2 minutes in microwave. Takes a couple of hours to thaw on counter.

For raisin bread add 1 Tbsp. cinnamon and 2 c. raisins to the x3 recipe. Let rise higher and cook longer (about 5 min. longer).

To make rolls: Tear the equivalent of one loaf of bread into 12 equal sized pieces. Roll in a ball. Put balls on a greased cookie sheet. Squash very slightly with the palm of your hand. Bake at 350 degrees for about 15 min., or until lightly golden brown. (You can cut one open to make sure it isn’t doughy when you think it might be done.) Cool on rack.

To make braided bread (our favorite!): Spray a cookie sheet with cooking oil. Take the equivalent of one loaf of bread and divide into 3 equal sized pieces. (Actually I divide the x5 recipe into 6 lumps, and then divide each of these into 3 pieces.) Roll each piece into a snake about 15” long. Braid three snakes. Transfer the braid to the cookie sheet. (I can fit 2-3 braids on one cookie sheet.) Tuck the ends under the braid. Bake at 350 degrees for about half an hour, until golden brown on top and not doughy in the middle.