So I finally feel comfortable enough to really start improvising with bread baking. I guess it’s not rocket science or anything, but it has intimidated me, so I have tended to stick pretty closely to recipes. This is the second time I have made this bread and I am continuing to tweak it as I go along. Overall, I do think it’s pretty darn tasty, and I’ve gotten some good feedback about it, too (so it’s not all in my head…).
I’m not sure if I have mentioned it on this blog or not, and I know it might seem fairly obvious, but it bears repeating; read through all recipes (preferably a couple of times) so you know what is suppose to happen before you start.
2 ½ c of warm water
1T of active dry yeast
2 ½ T brown rice syrup (or sweetener of your choice)
3 ½ c whole-wheat flour
2 ½ c unbleached all purpose white flour (more for kneading)
¼ c veg. oil (preferably a mild tasting one or a light olive oil)
1T salt
Yields 2 loaves
Directions:
Sprinkle the yeast over the warm water and mix in the brown rice syrup; let sit for a few minutes.
Mix together the rest of the ingredients and add in the yeast mixture, mixing well; let sit for about 10 minutes.
Prepare a lightly floured surface and knead for about 10 minutes; add additional flour as necessary (but try not to add too much).
Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl and cover with a cloth; let rise for about an hour until it has doubled.
Punch down the dough and knead a bit and return it to a ball like shape on your floured surface; let it rise for another half hour.
Punch down the dough again and divide in half; form into loaf and place in well oiled pans and. cover with the cloth for about 20 minutes.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees; bake for 45 minutes.
Let cool on a wire rack before cutting.