Think: Great Harvest

Story:

I love the memory I have of my mom making homemade whole wheat bread. I can still picture our old house with the wood pull-out cutting board that was built into the counter. She'd pull that out to put the hot loaves on as they came out of the oven. I used to smother the thick, warm slices with honey. Yum.

I started experimenting with breadmaking a little in... 2005, I guess it was. My sister had one of my mom's old wheat grinders in her basement, as well as my mom's old Bosch. (The blender on the Bosch is long-gone, but it still has the plastic mixing bowl AND the metal bread-making bowl--complete with olive green trim and everything.) Anyway, when my sister received a new Kitchenaid for Mother's Day one year, I got my mom's old stuff. Yeah!!

When I started baking bread, I discovered how EASY it is--especially if you have some of the tools--like a wheat grinder and a Bosch! I went a few months without buying any bread at the store. It was great!

This particular recipe came from my dear friend and South Ogden neighbor, Becky D. It was her mom's whole wheat bread recipe; Becky talked it up pretty good, and I wasn't disappointed! We said that it tasted as good as something from Great Harvest Bread Company (thus the name). The directions are pretty specific; I try to follow them closely because this makes 4 loaves of really good bread.

Today is a rainy day in KY and rainy days remind me of coming home from school to warm bread. I hope my kids enjoy their after-school snack this afternoon...

Ingredients:
water
sugar
yeast
gluten flour
wheat flour, freshly ground
salt
oil

Directions:
In a mixing bowl, add:
5 1/2 C hot water (110 degrees the recipe says... as if I get out the thermometer...)
3/4 C sugar
2 heaping T yeast
1/2 C gluten flour
6 C wheat flour, freshly ground

Mix 5-10 minutes.
Let rise 10 minutes.
Start mixing again. Slowly add:
1 heaping T salt
2 T oil
6 C wheat flour - adding 1 C per minute)

Mix until the consistency of shapeable bread dough.
Shape into loaves.
Put in bread pans.
Let rise 15-20 minutes, covered with a moist towel
Bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees.
Cool for 15-20 minutes.
Bag while still warm.

Enjoy!

(Please Note: I went to pick up my toddler from a friend's house while the bread was rising, so these loaves rose a little too much. In other words: they aren't quite as pretty as they should be... but they still taste great! Trust me...)