Just Baking

Alrighty…I confess, though I’ve been really digging making whole grain bread from The Laurel’s Kitchen Bread Book: A Guide to Whole-Grain Breadmaking, there is a fundamental problem. The bread that I’ve been making has been a bit more dense than what I really dig. This changed however when I found an inspired recipe for Whole Wheat Vienna Bread!

I was a bit wary at first, putting the 6 cups of whole wheat flour into the mixing bowl with some salt.

Though from everything I’ve read, quick rising yeast doesn’t necessitate proofing, it always makes me feel damn good to do it….plus…what can it hurt? Now, here is the key…the wet ingredients which included some olive oil, honey and a beaten egg.

I really believe that the egg helps along the process in giving the yeasties more readily available proteins to munch on. White flour is far easier to do this with than whole wheat flour…thus the egg might act as a surrogate. This got quite a great first rise!

What I may have been missing with the other loaves I’ve made that are whole wheat is that I usually had them rise once, then put them in a pan for a second rise. What this recipe recommended is two risings…then put it on a corn meal dusted cookay tray. Note the new silpat!

What came out of the oven was some INCREDIBLY soft, tasty bread! Seriously…this was like no other whole wheat bread…light, airy and with some great flavor. I will say that you have to eat homemade bread somewhat faster than store bought bread…but man for bread like this, it is worth chowing down super fast

FINISHED!!!