All posts filed under: Breads and Baking

Whole Wheat Bread

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Somehow I found myself with two 5-pound bags of whole wheat flour and not a speck of white flour in sight.  I went on the hunt for wheat bread recipes and sadly discovered most bread recipes contain a mixture of whole wheat and white flour.  Finally I found this super easy and quick recipe with only whole wheat flour and was delighted with the results.  After baked and thoroughly cooled uncovered at room temperature, the bread stayed moist stored in a large Ziploc bag on the counter (NOT in the fridge) and did not mold after a 4+ days (a rarity for homemade breads.) While you might be tempted to laugh at the exact baking time listed in the directions–don’t.  The bread baked perfectly. Turns out that 100% wheat flour recipes can be more challenging as the bread can turn out very dense and almost bitter.  By adding lovely sweetness from molasses and honey, this bread did not turn out bitter at all–rather it tastes homey and healthy.  The sweet-level is just enough, but it’s …

Tartine’s Seeded Whole Grain Bread

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I’ve never pretended to be a baker.  For one reason, I don’t have much of a sweet tooth.  Second reason is normally baking recipes serve an army: dozens of cookies, three layer cake, etc.  And with 2 people in my household, that’s too much for us.  Making bread, however, is different.  You can easily freeze extra loaves and/or slices.  With recent media featuring recipes from San Francisco’s Tartine and New York’s Jim Lahey, I couldn’t help but be inspired, and I felt that maybe, just maybe, I could try my hand at being a non-sweet, more savory baker. This particular recipe comes from Gwyneth Paltrow’s GOOP, courtesy of Tartine baker and co-owner Chad Roberston.  I followed the instructions exactly for the poolish pre-ferment (packaged yeast) version–including weighing all measurements.  I did not have linen-lined baskets for the last rise, so I simply lined a few wide, short ceramic bowls with clean kitchen towels–worked just fine.  This bread was so amazingly good.  The crust was crisp and dark and the inside was perfectly moist and chewy.  …