Comments on: How to Make Whole Wheat Bread Tutorial http://heavenlyhomemakers.com/how-to-make-whole-wheat-bread-tutorial Encouraging women in homemaking, healthy eating and parenting Thu, 24 May 2012 03:28:14 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.1 By: susan http://heavenlyhomemakers.com/how-to-make-whole-wheat-bread-tutorial/comment-page-3#comment-163734 susan Wed, 23 May 2012 23:30:56 +0000 http://heavenlyhomemakers.com/?p=1377#comment-163734 yeast is a yeast, not a fungus or a bacteria. When you try to get your yeast dough to rise, if the air in your house is cool, it won't rise. I often will make bread when I am doing other baking or cooking so the room is slightly warmer than the air conditioned cool my husband likes! Yeast needs sugar (honey, syrup, sugar) water or other liquid, and a little bit of heat to rise. Salt added to the yeast will make it not rise very well. Biology lesson: Yeast feeds on carbohydrates. When it feeds, it gives off carbon dioxide. Kneeding the dough is not for dispersing yeast throughout the entire loaf but rather to make the gluten become stretchy. If a person doesn't kneed the dough enough, as in about 5 to 7 minutes or the preferred 10 minutes, the gluten (flour protein) will not stretch. This might be a reason someone's bread is not light or fluffy. It is the carbon dioxide (from the yeast feeding on the carbohydrate sugars and perhaps some of the flour) which creates the little-holes texture in the dough. When it is baked, the yeast dies, and the carbon dioxide holes are still filled with air. If you do not kneed the dough long enough, the gluten will not stretch, and the little holes will not form. You might get one large hole or none at all. One other thing--if you make a larger loaf of bread, or use the entire recipe for just one loaf, you will need to bake the bread longer (of course) and the chance of the top browning too much increases the longer the loaf is in the oven baking. I use the ratio for my breads of one cup of liquid for three cups of flour. I use less liquid if I use honey, and less if I use oil. I don't add the salt until I add the flour. And, I use a bread maker for all but the rye breads I make. I like the feel of rye bread when I kneed it. 100 years ago, the women made their own yeast by simply collecting it from the air. They made a paste of flour and water and left it outside for a day or two. There is enough natural yeast around for the spores to gather; the women used this for sourdough if they didn't have a start from someone else. yeast is a yeast, not a fungus or a bacteria. When you try to get your yeast dough to rise, if the air in your house is cool, it won’t rise. I often will make bread when I am doing other baking or cooking so the room is slightly warmer than the air conditioned cool my husband likes! Yeast needs sugar (honey, syrup, sugar) water or other liquid, and a little bit of heat to rise. Salt added to the yeast will make it not rise very well.
Biology lesson: Yeast feeds on carbohydrates. When it feeds, it gives off carbon dioxide. Kneeding the dough is not for dispersing yeast throughout the entire loaf but rather to make the gluten become stretchy. If a person doesn’t kneed the dough enough, as in about 5 to 7 minutes or the preferred 10 minutes, the gluten (flour protein) will not stretch. This might be a reason someone’s bread is not light or fluffy. It is the carbon dioxide (from the yeast feeding on the carbohydrate sugars and perhaps some of the flour) which creates the little-holes texture in the dough. When it is baked, the yeast dies, and the carbon dioxide holes are still filled with air. If you do not kneed the dough long enough, the gluten will not stretch, and the little holes will not form. You might get one large hole or none at all.
One other thing–if you make a larger loaf of bread, or use the entire recipe for just one loaf, you will need to bake the bread longer (of course) and the chance of the top browning too much increases the longer the loaf is in the oven baking.
I use the ratio for my breads of one cup of liquid for three cups of flour. I use less liquid if I use honey, and less if I use oil. I don’t add the salt until I add the flour. And, I use a bread maker for all but the rye breads I make. I like the feel of rye bread when I kneed it.
100 years ago, the women made their own yeast by simply collecting it from the air. They made a paste of flour and water and left it outside for a day or two. There is enough natural yeast around for the spores to gather; the women used this for sourdough if they didn’t have a start from someone else.

]]> By: Mandi http://heavenlyhomemakers.com/how-to-make-whole-wheat-bread-tutorial/comment-page-3#comment-162756 Mandi Thu, 17 May 2012 02:39:03 +0000 http://heavenlyhomemakers.com/?p=1377#comment-162756 Clarifying, all dry ingredients are together before adding liquid and the last cup of flour is kneaded in as needed! Clarifying, all dry ingredients are together before adding liquid and the last cup of flour is kneaded in as needed!

]]> By: Mandi http://heavenlyhomemakers.com/how-to-make-whole-wheat-bread-tutorial/comment-page-3#comment-162755 Mandi Thu, 17 May 2012 02:37:29 +0000 http://heavenlyhomemakers.com/?p=1377#comment-162755 Wait a little longer on the rise - or give your bread a warmer place to rise. Our modern air circulated/conditioned homes don't always provide bacteria friendly environments! Wait a little longer on the rise – or give your bread a warmer place to rise. Our modern air circulated/conditioned homes don’t always provide bacteria friendly environments!

]]> By: Mandi http://heavenlyhomemakers.com/how-to-make-whole-wheat-bread-tutorial/comment-page-3#comment-162754 Mandi Thu, 17 May 2012 02:26:52 +0000 http://heavenlyhomemakers.com/?p=1377#comment-162754 I've been on this bread kick recently, and I've got to say, I use the same recipe you do, BUT I put it together completely differently! When all the hoopla came out about the dough stabilizers used in many commercial breads I decided my family would not be eating store bought bread any longer and I had to find a way to make it fast enough to do in between everything else that needed doing. Anyhoo. I mix my bread like biscuits. All flour (I use a bread flour specifically) but 1 cup goes in - the one cup is reserved for when you're kneading in the last of the moisture, sugar, yeast and salt. Liquids and fats are heated together and added to the dry ingredients by making a 'well' in the center and pouring the liquid into it making whats often called a "shaggy" dough - it's hairy at first because it sticks and pulls away from the sides of the pan. Activating the yeast in an age where we have reliable yeast unless we have done something adverse to it is an extra step that we can leave out. Extra headaches and dirty dishes. The yeast will activate in dough. While you're mixing your dry ingredients preheat your oven to 200 degrees. When it's heated turn it off and leave it open till you can put your hand on a rack for about ten seconds without burning it. Put your dough in a lightly oiled, heat safe bowl, cover with a towel and put it in the oven for about 20 minutes. Voila. Risen Dough. If you're having a play kind of day, you could do this again, or you could knead and put it right into loaf pans (or portion and freeze - the yeast will turn back on when you thaw it in a warm room making bread an anytime thing)set your oven to 350 and put the pans right in. The time the oven is preheating will give you your second rise, and then move right into cooking. This takes what could take hours down to roughly an hour to the oven. This is also great if you want to use Comfy in the Kitchens Calzone Recipe - although I tried it with bread dough tonight and I'm thinking a pizza dough (less oil, less liquid, crisper dough) might give a nicer texture. I’ve been on this bread kick recently, and I’ve got to say, I use the same recipe you do, BUT I put it together completely differently! When all the hoopla came out about the dough stabilizers used in many commercial breads I decided my family would not be eating store bought bread any longer and I had to find a way to make it fast enough to do in between everything else that needed doing. Anyhoo. I mix my bread like biscuits. All flour (I use a bread flour specifically) but 1 cup goes in – the one cup is reserved for when you’re kneading in the last of the moisture, sugar, yeast and salt. Liquids and fats are heated together and added to the dry ingredients by making a ‘well’ in the center and pouring the liquid into it making whats often called a “shaggy” dough – it’s hairy at first because it sticks and pulls away from the sides of the pan.

Activating the yeast in an age where we have reliable yeast unless we have done something adverse to it is an extra step that we can leave out. Extra headaches and dirty dishes.

The yeast will activate in dough. While you’re mixing your dry ingredients preheat your oven to 200 degrees. When it’s heated turn it off and leave it open till you can put your hand on a rack for about ten seconds without burning it.

Put your dough in a lightly oiled, heat safe bowl, cover with a towel and put it in the oven for about 20 minutes. Voila. Risen Dough. If you’re having a play kind of day, you could do this again, or you could knead and put it right into loaf pans (or portion and freeze – the yeast will turn back on when you thaw it in a warm room making bread an anytime thing)set your oven to 350 and put the pans right in.

The time the oven is preheating will give you your second rise, and then move right into cooking. This takes what could take hours down to roughly an hour to the oven. This is also great if you want to use Comfy in the Kitchens Calzone Recipe – although I tried it with bread dough tonight and I’m thinking a pizza dough (less oil, less liquid, crisper dough) might give a nicer texture.

]]> By: Kelly http://heavenlyhomemakers.com/how-to-make-whole-wheat-bread-tutorial/comment-page-3#comment-160168 Kelly Fri, 27 Apr 2012 02:31:38 +0000 http://heavenlyhomemakers.com/?p=1377#comment-160168 I tried this with my baked spaghetti bread recipe, and it turned out perfectly! I made just one loaf, so I cut all the ingredients in half... the yeast never activated because I tried to use half of it also. Once I figured out I needed to use the full yeast, everything went smoothly! It's so much better than the frozen bread I usually use! Thanks so much for posting! :) I tried this with my baked spaghetti bread recipe, and it turned out perfectly! I made just one loaf, so I cut all the ingredients in half… the yeast never activated because I tried to use half of it also. Once I figured out I needed to use the full yeast, everything went smoothly! It’s so much better than the frozen bread I usually use! Thanks so much for posting! :)

]]> By: Debbie http://heavenlyhomemakers.com/how-to-make-whole-wheat-bread-tutorial/comment-page-3#comment-158461 Debbie Wed, 18 Apr 2012 23:11:20 +0000 http://heavenlyhomemakers.com/?p=1377#comment-158461 Thank you! Yes, I did make another batch of bread yesterday (wasn't going to give up & very determined to get it right!) & you confirmed my mistake of allowing the mixture to rise too much! So I watched it closely this time round, made the necessary change & the loaves came out beautifully! Can not wait to make some more! :) I am into the routine of making one batch wholewheat & the other wholewheat molasses raisin, just to mix it up! My family enjoys homemade cooking & baking, so now I am passing the tradition on to our two university students, our son & daughter, who both make a practice of enjoying whipping up meals & desserts when time allows it, in their busy schedules away from home! I can see this happening with your young family as well, where they are getting exposed to the same thing now!..and it is all good in these times of so much fast food out there! :( Thank you so much again for responding to my bread-making concern! Bread is a fairly new enjoyed hobby of mine, which I make by hand like yourself, so I also have your website bookmarked for browsing & trying out new recipes, etc. Keep up the great work! :) Thank you! Yes, I did make another batch of bread yesterday (wasn’t going to give up & very determined to get it right!) & you confirmed my mistake of allowing the mixture to rise too much! So I watched it closely this time round, made the necessary change & the loaves came out beautifully! Can not wait to make some more! :) I am into the routine of making one batch wholewheat & the other wholewheat molasses raisin, just to mix it up! My family enjoys homemade cooking & baking, so now I am passing the tradition on to our two university students, our son & daughter, who both make a practice of enjoying whipping up meals & desserts when time allows it, in their busy schedules away from home!
I can see this happening with your young family as well, where they are getting exposed to the same thing now!..and it is all good in these times of so much fast food out there! :(
Thank you so much again for responding to my bread-making concern! Bread is a fairly new enjoyed hobby of mine, which I make by hand like yourself, so I also have your website bookmarked for browsing & trying out new recipes, etc.
Keep up the great work! :)

]]> By: Laura http://heavenlyhomemakers.com/how-to-make-whole-wheat-bread-tutorial/comment-page-3#comment-158378 Laura Wed, 18 Apr 2012 11:25:18 +0000 http://heavenlyhomemakers.com/?p=1377#comment-158378 My guess is that it rises a little too long before going into the oven. If it rises too much, it will "deflate" in the oven, so to speak. Hope that helps! My guess is that it rises a little too long before going into the oven. If it rises too much, it will “deflate” in the oven, so to speak. Hope that helps!

]]> By: Laura http://heavenlyhomemakers.com/how-to-make-whole-wheat-bread-tutorial/comment-page-3#comment-158371 Laura Wed, 18 Apr 2012 11:17:45 +0000 http://heavenlyhomemakers.com/?p=1377#comment-158371 Hmm, not sure you did anything wrong necessarily. My loaves are usually not very big either. Hmm, not sure you did anything wrong necessarily. My loaves are usually not very big either.

]]> By: jeana goodwin http://heavenlyhomemakers.com/how-to-make-whole-wheat-bread-tutorial/comment-page-3#comment-157724 jeana goodwin Mon, 16 Apr 2012 20:23:23 +0000 http://heavenlyhomemakers.com/?p=1377#comment-157724 I made this today and it tastes great. It rose in the bowl and rose a little more in the pan but turned out small. Any ideas what happened and how to change it? Like I said, it tastes great, looks great, good texture, not too dense. Just small.? I made this today and it tastes great. It rose in the bowl and rose a little more in the pan but turned out small. Any ideas what happened and how to change it? Like I said, it tastes great, looks great, good texture, not too dense. Just small.?

]]> By: Brandi http://heavenlyhomemakers.com/how-to-make-whole-wheat-bread-tutorial/comment-page-3#comment-157520 Brandi Mon, 16 Apr 2012 17:13:46 +0000 http://heavenlyhomemakers.com/?p=1377#comment-157520 The water thing is most definitely true. We actually have a Culligan water system and I used that. After 10 minutes...no bubbles. I read Anna's advice and used well water and it bubbled very nnicely! The water thing is most definitely true. We actually have a Culligan water system and I used that. After 10 minutes…no bubbles. I read Anna’s advice and used well water and it bubbled very nnicely!

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