Multigrain

This has become our favorite sandwich bread.

The recipe:

1 cup water
1 cup plain yogurt
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup oats (we use regular, not instant, oat meal)
1/3 cup wheat germ
1/3 cut bran
5 to 5-and-1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose or whole wheat flour (all-purpose rises best, whole wheat tastes best)
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 packages rapid-rise yeast
2 tsp salt
2 eggs

Mix the water, yogurt and oil and simmer
Stir in the oats, wheat germ and bran
Cool to very warm (120F to 130F) let stand for 30 minutes
In a large bowl, combine 1 cup flour, brown sugar, yeast and salt
Add the bran melange
Stir in 1 egg and the rest of the flour to make a soft dough
Knead 6-8 minutes, then let the dough rest for 10 minutes
Divide the dough in half, roll into 12X7 loaves, pinch the ends to seal
Put seam-sides down in greased loaf pans
Let rise (30-45 minutes)
Cut 3 diagonal slashes on each loaf (keep it superficial, now)
Brush egg on top, sprinkle some wheat germ and oats for that bakery-fresh look
Bake at 375 (25-30 minutes)

From breadworld.com

Emily O'Dell's Sourdough Sensation

Here's where bWead of Wife got its start, the result of a night on Brian and Emily's back porch. Sourdough is just so tasty. It rises to make pretty deep loaves, which means BIG sandwiches for hungry husbands! (not to be confused with hungry hippos).

Some game-breakers:

You've got to have sourdough starter, which I know nothing about (but I can find out for a later post).

You've got to have the water amount and temperature just right, or the yeast won't rise. I think this is a common bread issue. If the yeast doesn't activate, you get bread like this:



... which is OK, but pretty dense, and not really good for sandwhiches. And isn't that the point afterall -- making sure hungry husbands have lunch food? What, that's not the point?

But even when you get the temperature just right, sometimes the dough takes on a life of its own:



Anyway, the recipe:

2 packages yeast
1 and 1/4 cups warm water
1 cup starter
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup sugar
2 tsp salt
2 large eggs, beaten
5 and 1/2 to 6 cups flour

Mix the yeast and warm water together and let stand for 5 minutes.
Combine the yeast mixture, starter, oil, sugar, salt, eggs, 3 cups flour in a non-metal bowl.
Gradually stir in the flour to make a soft dough
Turn the dough on floured surface (so it doesn't stick), knead until smooth and elastic (about 10 minutes -- it's a good work out)
Put the kneaded dough in a well greased bowl, cover and let rise until doubled in size (about 90 minutes)
Get mad at your husband and take it out on the dough! Go ahead, PUNCH it down in the middle (this is actually part of the recipe whether you're mad or not)
Divide the dough in half, form into two loaves and put them in bread pans
Brush tops with oil, let rise (60 minutes)
Bake at 375 (30-35 minutes)

You know the bread is done when it sounds hollow when tapped. Tip: Brush the tops of the loaves with beaten egg for a tougher, glistening crust.

Sharing aromas

There are few things as pleasant as the smell of baking bread wafting from the oven throughout the house. It's so good, in fact, that Nicki and I wanted to share it.

Thanks to a little inspiration from our friends Dena and Kari, we decided to share with you what Nicki is creating in the kitchen.

It all started at the first of the year with a crusade against high-fructose corn syrup. We were appalled to find it even in our grocery store-bought whole wheat bread.

So Nicki, despite her "terribly busy schedule" at work, began researching alternatives; she decided to take kneading into her own hands. The results have been fabulous. From sour dough to multi-grain, bagels to pizza dough, she's baking it all and more. We'll share all we can here in hopes that soon you'll have those comforting, homey, anti-HFCS smells coming from your oven.