Recipe Whole Wheat Bread

Recipe Whole Wheat Bread

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100% WHOLE WHEAT BREAD (Lacto-vegetarian, Lacto-ovo vegetarian, Vegan)

2 cups very warm, not hot, water (100-110 degrees)

2 packages active dry yeast

6 cups whole-wheat flour

2 teaspoons salt

1/4 cup honey

1/4 cup oil

1 Tablespoon liquid lecithin (optional, acts as a natural preservative)

1 Tablespoon wheat gluten (optional, allows for lighter bread with shorter proofing time, but increases gluten content of bread if you are sensitive)

Instructions

(1) Dissolve yeast in warm water and let stand for five minutes until foamy. Combine flour, salt, honey, oil and lecithin. Add yeast water and mix thoroughly. Knead by hand or with dough hook for 8-10 minutes until dough is smooth and elastic.

(2) Cover and let rise in a warm place until about double in size. Punch down and let rise again. Repeat this process several times to make the dough lighter. As with all bread dough, be careful not to let it go too long, or dough will turn sour.

(3) Shape dough into two loaves and allow to rise once more until doubled in size.

(4) Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Bake bread for 30 minutes or until lightly browned.

(5) Cool and slice. Keep bread in refrigerator or freeze for maximum shelf life.

Wheat facts

Wheat is the world’s most abundant cereal grain, It is available in many forms, including, berries, cracked wheat, wheat flakes, bulgur, whole-wheat flour, wheat germ, wheat bran and unbleached white flour. It is most likely to be the source of food sensitivity of all the grains.

When wheat kernels are processed to make white flour, the bran and the germ are removed, leaving only the white center (endosperm). Then, since most of the vitamins (and minerals) are in the parts that were removed, the food company will fortify or add back in, the vitamins and minerals that were removed.

Although “unbleached” white flour is probably better than white flour that has been “bleached” with chemicals, find a good brand where the flour has been aged naturally rather than with chemicals.

Wheat has gotten a bad reputation recently

With the rise in popularity of gluten-free diets, wheat has gotten a bit of a bad reputation. However, unless you are actually gluten-sensitive or have full-blown Celiac disease, including wheat in your diet should not be a problem.
Be sure to skip the white flour products (in which the healthy attributes of wheat have been stripped away) in favor of products made with the whole grain.  

It is also a good idea to include a variety of whole grains (oats, barley, quinoa, amaranth, rye, spelt) in your diet, and not limit yourself to just wheat. In this way, you will get a larger variety of nutrients and limit the potential for developing a wheat sensitivity.

Another use for whole wheat

Wheat berries can be made into a hot, chewy breakfast cereal. Rinse one cup of wheat kernels, cover with water and soak overnight. In the morning, drain and rinse the berries and then add about 3 cups of water and salt. Bring water to a boil and then reduce the heat and simmer for about one hour until berries split. Serve plain or with a bit of honey or butter. These cooked berries can also be used as a pilaf with vegetables.

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