The Quest for the Perfect Loaf!

It's been two months since we've bought any bread from the store (with the exception of one package of sausage buns). My husband laughs and calls any store-baked goods CONTRABAND! The kids are really enjoying the home-baked goods I am making. There is a revolution going on in my kitchen. And, the home-baked bread is a big part of it! Of course, my "white" breads are always a hit. I just have to find a convincing recipe of whole wheat bread. When I started baking bread, my goal was (and still is) to mill my own flour. I bought over 300 lbs of wheat in faith! I borrowed an old stone mill and began learning to bake with fresh milled wheat flour. Fresh milled flour in whole wheat bread is delicious and extremely nutritious. It was easier to convince my family to eat that whole wheat bread. But, that mill began to burn my wheat and before I damaged the borrowed mill, I returned it to its owner. I am still looking for my own flour mill. In the meantime, I have been using enriched flour (white and whole wheat) for all my breadmaking. The recipe I used today seems to be the fluffiest whole grain bread recipe to date. It uses whole wheat flour, white flour, ground flax seeds and other seeds. I usually omit all of the seeds except I occasionally add the whole flax seeds in addition to the ground flax seeds (flax meal). This recipe is at the bottom of this post. These days, my kitchen is a busy and warm place... full of life! I feel so blessed. I am learning so much and some tips I have tried I will use for life and others I will leave behind. More on that later.

Whole Wheat Flax Bread

3 cups warm water
2 tablespoons active dry yeast
Combine in a mixing bowl and stir until dissolved. Set aside until bubbly. 5 mins.

3 cups whole wheat bread flour
3 tablespoons honey (note: I find dissolving the honey in the warm water at the beginning to
help activate the yeast works best)
3 tablespoons oil
Add and stir until smooth

2-3 cups bread flour (I use the all-purpose I have on hand)
1 1/2 cup flax seed meal
1/3 cup raw sunflower seeds
2 tablespoons poppy seeds
2 teaspoons salt (I have put a heaping tablespoon of salt because it turns out quite sweet).
1/3 cup flax seeds
Add, stirring in enough flour to make a stiff, smooth dough. Knead about 10 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turn to grease both sides, cover with a damp cloth and let rise until doubled in bulk, about 1 1/2 hours. Punch down, divide in half, let rest 5 minutes, shape into round loaves and place on a greased baking sheet sprinkled with cornmeal. Cover and let rise again about 1 hour. Bake in pre-heated oven at 375 F for 30 minutes. (I usually use loaf pans and never tried the cornmeal or any of the seeds except flax seeds. Also, I usually knead slightly as I shape into loaves and I find this helps with the second rising).

Source: Simply in Season: A World Community Cookbook. Mary Beth Lind and Cathleen Hockman-Wert. Herald Press: 2005.