These are two loaves of bread that I baked yesterday. Take a guess on which one is whole wheat bread.
Well, duh genius, the one on the right. Right? Or, correct? for you English aficionados. I'm sure you were able to guess the bread on the right is wheat based on the color but I'm about to blow your mind.
They are both whole wheat bread!
Yes, that is right. Merely an hour before these slices were rising into beautiful loaves of bread they were wheat berries in their whole form. The slices on the left were made from hard white wheat and the ones on the right were made from hard red wheat. Hard red wheat is the standard wheat used in wheat bread, hence why you were able to guess the slices on the right based on their color. Hard white wheat has all the same nutrition as red wheat but it has a lighter color and milder flavor. I use white wheat for nearly everything I bake but J likes a hearty, nutty red wheat loaf occasionally so yesterday I baked two different kinds.
I alternately titled this post "My Time Suck" because that is what it's become. Not that I mind it but now you know what I'm doing a lot of the time instead of writing posts on this blog. About 7 months ago we made the jump into grinding our own wheat and making our own bread products. I'm sure you are thinking "that is just crazy, is she for real?" I know you are because I thought the same thing when I first learned about it. I even added "seriously, people do this kind of thing when bread costs $2-$3 a loaf?!" It was not a cheap investment but once we listened to a conference and really researched all the health benefits from grinding your own grains we decided it would be a good investment in our health and our children's' futures. It's certainly not for everyone but it has worked for us.
I've been wanting to write a post on this crazy adventure so I figured I'd start with this and the promises that I'll dive more in depth soon. That is, as soon as I clean the flour off the countertops and wash the pile of dishes this adventure brings.
Want to learn more? I've learned a ton at www.urbanhomemaker.com (where I got our bread recipe), and www.kitchensterwardship.com
I've ordered most of our products from www.pleasanthillgrain.com and we started this journey after listening to Sue Becker from www.breadbeckers.com
So how do yoy get your bread to have that airy look to it? My bread is pretty dense. I have been making bread for about 3 years but I am still experiencing technical difficulties. IT tastes good, but I would like it to be lighter!
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