Awhile back, many of my sisters and I (and I do have a lot of sisters, 10 to be exact) got together at my mom’s and had a bread baking day.
We tried, tasted and tested more than seven recipes of whole grain bread, all using fresh ground flour, but different wheat berries, grains and recipes.
This recipe was the definite winner; it was more flavorful than the loaves that used all white wheat, yet less dense than the loaves of all red wheat. The spelt adds to the overall nutrition.
- 8-10 cups freshly milled flour (4 cups white wheat, 2 cups red wheat, 2 cups spelt)
- 2 T. yeast
- 1 T. salt
- ½ cup butter
- ½ cup honey
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup milk
- 1 T. Dough Enhancer (optional)
- 1 egg white (optional)
- butter (optional)
- Mix together 5 cups of the flour, dough enhancer, (optional) yeast and the salt; set aside.
- In a small saucepan, heat the butter, honey, water and milk to warm (115° - 120°) Pour into the flour mixture and mix.
- Gradually add enough flour to form a soft dough.
- Knead 5-10 minutes. (5-6 minutes if using your mixer to do the kneading)
- Cut the dough in half and shape loaves. Place in (2) 4x9” bread pans. (glass bread pans yield the softest crust.)
- Cover with a clean towel and let rise in a warm place for about 1½ hours or until double.
- Brush with egg white if you want a shiny crust.
- Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes or when internal temperature is 190°
- Brush tops with butter if you want a softer crust
I like to slice the loaves before I freeze them for ease of use latter. To thaw, you can either let it set on the counter for a few hours, or wrap the frozen loaf in parchment paper or foil and place in a preheated 350° oven for about 20 minutes.