Whole Wheat Bread

Our stuff is almost completely unpacked.  I finally got my keyboard set up by the window, where Niles (kitty) likes to sit and look at the crows and cats and dogs in the neighborhood.  He kept me company last night while I was reacquainting myself with my instrument.  

 

Having an once-outdoor cat transform into a sleepy-eyed indoor cat is quite the experience.  For instance, he has shown us how good he is at hiding.  We found him behind the drawers in our kitchen.  No idea how he managed that, but it was impressive.

Now, time for some more comfort food.  I have been balancing my high-stress job hunt with filling our apartment with amazing smells.  My latest experiment? Bread.

It's always astounded me how difficult it can be to obtain vegan bread.  We went to Fred Meyer the other day and finally settled on some dark Rye, but it took forever to get there; everything had either eggs or milk, and most had honey!  It was even a challenge to find some at Whole Foods.  Coming from a town that had several great veg-friendly bakeries, it was never difficult to find bread.  So, I decided that it is in the interest of our budget (and our health) to start baking at home. 

I was a little intimidated by the prospect of baking bread because I previously had a sort of "bread baker's curse."  Every attempt I made came out too dense or it didn't rise the way it was supposed to.  I even had a moment of confusion when I first went vegan because of all the talk about "nutritional yeast."  For the newbies: nutritional yeast and active dry yeast are not the same thing.  Nutritional yeast doesn't do crap for your rising needs.  


Anyway, I started searching for a simple recipe on www.vegweb.com.  If you haven't tried out this database of recipes, I highly recommend it!  It makes vegan cooking look comically easy, because let's face it: it is.  


This recipe is based on the one I found here: http://vegweb.com/index.php?topic=5707.0

Whole Wheat Bread 

2 1/2 cups warm water
1 packet of Red Star ® Active Dry Yeast

1/4 cup organic black strap molasses

1/4 cup organic brown rice syrup

3 cups organic whole wheat flour

1/8-1/4 c. olive oil

1/8-1/4 c. almond milk (or other dairy alternative)

3 to 4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2-1 tsp salt

1-2 tablespoons barley-or oat-flakes (optional)

In a big mixing bowl, combine the water and yeast and molasses.  Add the three cups of whole wheat flour and mix well. 

Add the olive oil, almond milk, and salt.  Stir to combine.  Begin adding the white flour, about 1/4-1/2 cup at a time.  After you've added 3 cups, begin kneading the dough.  I added another 1/2 cup while I was kneading because the dough became sticky.  Knead the dough for 5-10 minutes until it is pliable and smooth.

Lightly oil 2 bread pans.  Evenly divide the ball of dough in half and place each in a bread pan.  If you like, make a big round bread loaf by placing the dough on a flat baking dish.  I used our pizza stone! Sprinkle the barley/oat flakes, if using, on top of each loaf.

Place a clean towel over the bread pans and place in a warm, dry environment (like your slightly-preheated oven).  Let the bread rise for 60-90 minutes.  After that, bake at 350 F for 35-40 minutes.

Prepare for your home to start smelling very good.  

Makes 2 loaves of bread

*An aside: If you used bread pans, I highly recommend waiting for the bread to cool off completely before you try removing them.  Otherwise, they seem to stick.  Slice them up and freeze them if you want to use one later in the week...or next week!