Whole Wheat Goodness

This morning is a sort of dingy spring, brightened by a ring of fancy daffodils I planted last October around the base of my dormant apple tree, of which I have a framed view from my bed. I call it dormant as a more pleasant way of saying dead because it is not entirely dead. In fact, this year there are three living branches emerging from the dormant trunk and crown of nearly black wood and bark. Circled by huge canary flowers, it looks like spring, though rain clouds darken these not-so-early hours.

Last night I made whole wheat bread with Patrick, while I was learning to play pinochle. That's 100% whole wheat bread--a nod to my new whole-grains-acceptable, low-calorie diet (following my 28-day no-grains, no-sugars, no nothing-that-has-more-than-a-few-carbohydrates initiation). It could have turned out a lump of brick, but it is wonderful. I am enjoying a slice with a non-fat, sugar-free vanilla latte I made with Laura's housewarming gift--the espresso machine that has kept me awake through these 20 hour days of teaching 6, taking 3. And Chester is climbing around my desk, chewing pens and complaining, as usual. All in all, it’s looking like a great day. Only three sets of papers to grade, a lecture to create, three books to read, a response piece and a paper to write. By tomorrow night. :-) Better get cracking.

Actually Good 100% Whole Wheat Bread:

1 Package Active Dry Yeast
1 Cup Hottish Water (like 115 degrees)
1/2 Tsp Sugar
1 Egg
2 Tbs Canola Oil
1 3/4 Tsp Kosher Salt
1 Tbs Dried Rosemary
4-5 Cups Whole Wheat Flour
2 Tbs Melted Butter
1 Tsp Garlic Salt
1 Tsp Dried Rosemary
1 Egg, Beaten

1. You can do most of this in your mixer if you want. You just follow the next step using the mixer instead of a fork, and mix with the paddle, then switch to the dough hook before adding the last 3 cups of flour. You will knead with the dough hook for 3-4 minutes before covering with the plastic wrap. Or you can get your hands dirty, which usually is why I make bread.

2. In a big bowl mix the yeast and water together with your fingers until all the little bits are dissolved. Add the sugar, egg, oil, kosher salt and Tbs of rosemary (remember to grind the dried rosemary leaves in your fingers as you sprinkle it into the bowl to break it and release some of the oils). Mix all this up with a fork until it is blended. Add 2 cups of flour and mix with the fork. Add one more cup of flour and squeeze the dough together with your hands until it forms a ball.

3. Turn the dough out onto a floured board or other bog, flat surface. Push down on the bottom portion of the ball, and then push it toward the top of the ball, holding it still with your other hand. Some people like to make a kind of folding motion, pulling the bottom portion of the ball down and folding it into the top portion, pushing down quite hard as you do so. Slightly turning the ball counter-clockwise after each push keeps the whole thing more regular. Sprinkle flour in small portions over the ball and onto the work surface until the dough is no longer wet as you knead it. Do this for about 10 minutes. The dough will become more elastic and will start to take on the feeling of flesh, very dense.

4. When you have a nice, smooth ball of dense, elastic dough, put it back in the bowl and cover it with a piece of plastic wrap that you have sprayed with oil (like Pam) so it will not stick to the dough when it rises. Put the bowl into your oven, which you have warmed up a little, but which is now turned OFF. Let it rise there for about an hour.

5. Turn the dough back out onto the board. It should have doubled in size, but will quickly deflate on the board. Knead it for a couple of minutes and then shape it how you like. I like to push it into a rectangle and then roll it, turning under the ends and then stuffing it into my oil-sprayed loaf pan. You can also twist two ropes into a twist or make a braid, or just make a ball with a cross-cut on top. You should place the loaf on or into the pan you will cook it in/on. If you are not using a loaf pan, a cookie sheet will do fine. Re-cover the loaf with the oiled plastic wrap, and put it back in the oven for about an hour.

6. Before you bake the bread, brush it with the melted butter and sprinkle the top with a mixture of 1 tsp rosemary and 1 tsp garlic salt. Bake the bread at 375 for 35 minutes. Take it out of the oven and brush it with the beaten egg. (You will only use a little bit of the egg. I fried the rest of mine!) Put the loaf back in the oven for 10-15 minutes, until it sounds slightly hollow when you tap it and the top is glossy and a little hard.

7. Let the bread cool in/on the pan for five minutes, then use a bread knife to gently pull it away from the pan sides. Turn it out onto a board and let it cool for another 10 minutes before slicing. Yummy!!!