It’s a Whole Wheat Mess!

While I await next weekend’s cooking extravaganza, I’ve been busy baking bread for the siblings/family. Since I am poor, severely poor these days, I’m baking more bread than ever. I have enough ingredients to bake me so many great bread options for the next 6 months to a year. But this time it’s time to cook for my Sis and her Bo, so they have something to eat also (I have a tendency to be a giving person way too much at times).

Don’t get me wrong, I don’t eat bread every day, but if you are a starving jobless person these days like I am, bread is a necessity of life and hunger and carbs are not a dietary “no no”. Bread may be full of carbs, but if it’s homemade, it at least has less crappy ingredients in it than the store bought brands. Now, if you buy bread from a reputable bread bakery, you are guaranteed a more healthy option, but keep in mind they do put in additives to allow the bread to stay fresher for longer. But know that those additives are slightly more pronounceable, vs. the big brand bread makers. Know that if you make your own bread, there are no additives and no need to even pronounce anything!

As far as price options, the big brand names may charge less overall commercially and the personal bakery does charge a big premium for something you can all make at home for even less, like a good ole crusty bread, baguette or even sandwich bread. Most of that premium cost on bakery bread is really about labor and not so much the ingredients, because, time is the biggest obstacle in bread making, in my opinion. There is a labor of love with bread making as I am still learning.

As I have stated before, I have a bread machine, which I love dearly. But even if you don’t have a bread machine, everyone should learn how to made bread from scratch. Bread making does not necessarily need any special equipment except for a some Bowls, Bread Pan or Sheet Pan, Oven, your muscle and time. The rewards are so much more in your favor than if you bought bread from a store or bakery; One great starter bread is from a previous post: I Could Live on Bread and Water.

Yes, there are breads that don’t last that long after making it homemade, but I do guarantee, if making your own bread, you needn’t worry about it perishing, as it will be eaten up before you even think about throwing it away. Any homemade bread with “fats” (any dairy, oil and eggs) included will last from 1 to even two weeks as I have experienced, as long as the bread is stored properly.

If your bread is not eaten in the allotted time, there are other ways to prolong your bread life, like taking your 2-3 day old bread and making homemade croutons or breadcrumbs. These can be stored in the freezer for months! Pre Slice your bread and freeze and take slices out as you need them…The Toaster will defrost each slice with ease or defrost each slice in the Microwave for 10 secs.

Today, I have made 2 batches of Whole Wheat bread from my bread maker recipe booklet. The smell of freshly baked bread is so heavenly to me and just makes my mouth water and head spin and eyes roll in ecstasy. Tomorrow, I am making a Sour Dough Boule recipe from KAF, which I am truly excited about. My starter (sponge) is ready and I cannot wait to see how this other recipe turns out.

For this post, I’m not going to include the Whole Wheat Bread Recipe in this blog, as it is for the Bread Machine and I know that anyone who has a bread machine, this recipe and/or something like it is included in that recipe booklet. But it is worth showing you pictures. As far as the Sour Dough Boule, I will post the link to the recipe I used if it’s worth it.