Homemade Whole Grain Bread

Jeff Basom, the chef at Bastyr University, shares his unique way
of making bread. Jeff’s bread is economical and nutritious and
children love the soft, light texture. Using leftover grains or
cereal as a starter dough is a beautiful example of the
transformative quality of whole foods.

Starter Dough
2 cups cooked whole grains
2 cups water
1/4 cup cold-pressed vegetable oil
1 tablespoon sea salt
1 tablespoon dry yeast
1 cup whole wheat flour (more or less)

Blend grains and water in a blender or food processor until creamy; pour into a large mixing bowl. Mix in oil, salt, and yeast. Add enough flour to make the mixture look like thick cooked cereal. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a damp towel and leave for 12-24 hours at room temperature. Once the dough is fermented, it can be refrigerated for up to a week before using to make bread.

To make a bread
1/4 cup sweetener (such as barley malt or maple syrup)
2 cups whole wheat flour
3-4 cups unbleached white flour or whole wheat flour

After the 12-24 hours, add sweetener to starter dough and stir. Add whole wheat flour, stirring it in. As you add the white flour, the mixture will be too difficult to stir. Knead it by hand in the bowl and continue to add white flour. When dough is less sticky, transfer it to a floured surface and knead 10-15 minutes or until dough is soft and springy, but not too sticky. Wash and dry mixing bowl and oil it. Place dough in bowl, cover and let rise in a warm place 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

To bake the bread
1 teaspoon water
1 teaspoon barley malt or maple syrup
1 teaspoon cold-pressed vegetable oil
1/4 teaspoon sea salt

Mix water, syrup, oil, and salt in a small cup or bowl and coat the top of each loaf with this mixture. Cover and let rise in pans for 45-60 minutes until the loaves have doubled in size. Test the bread for readiness. If you press the dough and it wants to stay in, but still has a little spring, it’s ready to bake. Preheat oven to 350 F. Bake 45-50 minutes. Bread will come out of pans after 5 minutes of cooling. Let it cool 30 minutes before slicing (if you can wait!).

Read more: Food, All recipes, Desserts

Excerpted from Feeding the Whole Family, by Cynthia Lair.Copyright (c) 1997 by Cynthia Lair. Reprinted by permission of Moon Smile Press.
Excerpted from Feeding the Whole Family, by Cynthia Lair.

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of
Care2, Inc., its employees or advertisers.

BROOKE W.

6:32PM PDT on Oct 6, 2011

THIS SOUND*S SO GOOD*DOES ANYONE HAVE A RECIPE 4 ZUCCHINI BREAD*I LV BREAD*IT GOES W EVERYTHING*I LV TOMATO SOUP W SEA SALT & GARLIC BREAD*ESPECIALLY WHEN IT*S COLD*YUM*BROOKE W*HELSINKI*FINLAND

send a green star

Jennifer C.

12:35AM PDT on Sep 20, 2011

Great recipe. Thanks for sharing.

Bon L.

3:32AM PST on Jan 19, 2011

Thanks for the info.

Past Member .

6:25PM PDT on Mar 14, 2010

http://www.care2.com/news/member/335503606/1422403

Sara B.

11:26AM PST on Nov 4, 2008

Interesting. I agree, it seems to have quite a few steps. I've been baking with 100% whole wheat flour for awhile now and here are some tips I've learned: http://buzz.prevention.com/community/trimom73/tips-for-baking-with-whole-wheat-flour

Dee C.

11:26AM PDT on Aug 19, 2008

This looks like a good recipe and I am trying it right now. For the novice bread baker (ME), there are too many steps left out or not mentioned. How many loaves will this make? Do I punch down the dough after the first rise? If I use a KitchenAid with a bread hook, how long should I let that knead the dough?

I am afraid that my first experiment will truly be just that--an experiment. I am making two loaves with this recipe; I let the KitchenAid knead for five minutes (I don't think that was enough); and I punched down after the first rise.