Whole Wheat and other bread recipes..

I've decided that I am never going to buy store bought bread again.. The decision came when I tried these bread recipes. Not only was it a lot easier than I thought, but it was delicious. After one bite I looked across the table at my honey and declared, "We are never buying bread again."

I found this recipe on the Smitten Kitchen's blog and it's beyond easy. All you need is a little time, patience, and a few ingredients all of which I happened to have on hand. The original recipe is perfect in and of itself. Great for sandwiches, toast or eating with your favorite pot roast and soaking up juices. As Rachel Ray says.. It's another utensil. We can't let juices go to waste now can we? I didn't think so.

And the bread's cute! Just look at this loaf of bread! It's winking at me. See the little eye on the left side? I think the bread is flirting with me. Either that or I have grown delirious. Am I looking for love in all the wrong places? Whatever... I think the bread's cute.

But, I couldn't just leave a perfect recipe alone now could I? Of course not, I wouldn't be a hot mess if I didn't add a little finesse and  a few 'operational work arounds' to a recipe now would I? I made a few changes mainly adding more whole wheat flour (the original recipe called for 2 1/2 cups bread flour to 1 1/2 cup whole wheat and I reversed that) and added a few nuts and seeds. I like my bread thick! What resulted is a Sesame Honey Whole Wheat and a Harvest Whole Wheat. Both turned out amazing and if I had to choose I would have to say the sesame wins, but not by much. I made a delicious egg and cheese sandwich on both and it both were winners in my book!

And my toes make a little cameo in the bottom left corner of this picture. Isn't that cute. Hey.. no one's perfect!

Thank you to Smitten Kitchen for the original recipe and inspiration! Now below you will find my modifications to her already perfect light wheat bread recipe that she got from the

The Bread Baker’s Apprentice.

Original recipe nutritional skinny (per slice with 13 slices):


92 calories / 3 g fat / 23 g carbohydrates / 2 g fiber / 2.3 g protein

Sesame Honey Whole Wheat Bread

Makes one two-pound loaf

2 1/2 cups (11.25 oz) whole wheat flour
1 1/2 cups (6.75 oz.) bread flour
3 tablespoons (1 oz.) powdered milk*
1 1/2 teaspoons (.17 oz.) instant yeast
1 1/2 teaspoons (.38 oz.) salt
1 1/2 tablespoons (.75 oz.) honey
2 tablespoons (1 oz.) unsalted butter or olive oil, at room temperature
1 1/4 cups (10 oz.) water, at room temperature
1/4 cup toasted sesame seeds
1 teaspoon honey (for drizzling on top)

*If you don't have powdered milk you can use 1 1/4 cups milk and omit the water, however the bread turns out lighter with the milk powder.

1. Stir together the bread flour, whole-wheat flour, salt, powdered milk, and yeast in a 4-quart mixing bowl (or in the bowl of an electric mixer).

2. Add the honey, olive oil (or butter), and water. Stir (or mix on low speed with the paddle attachment) until the ingredients form a ball. If there is still flour in the bottom of the bowl, dribble in additional water. We used another 1/4 to 1/2 cup of water due to the thickness of the whole wheat flour. The dough should feel soft and slightly sticky. It is better for it to be a little too soft that to be too stiff so add water until you get to here.

3. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and kneed the dough for 7-10 minutes. It's a great arm work out!

4. Place the dough in a greased metal bowl. Cover with saran wrap and set in a warm spot and allow the dough to rise for 60 to 90 minutes. My favorite place for dough to rise is on top of the dryer while I am drying clothes. It is warm and perfect! Try it! The dough will double in size. If it hasn't doubled, let it continue rising until it has.

5. Next roll the dough out by hand into a 6 inch by 10 inch rectangle using your bread pan as a guide. You don't want it to be any wider than the bread pan you plan to put it into. Sprinkle just over half of your sesame seeds on the surface of the dough, then roll the dough pinching the sides in as you roll so that it will easily fit in the loaf pan. (That's my mom rolling! Isn't her hand so cute.. And her sweet gold band saying she is reserved for my dad only!)

6. Spray your pan with baking spray and place the dough in the pan. Sprinkle with the reserved honey and the remaining sesame seeds. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and allow to rise for another hour to hour and a half. You want the dough to rise above the rim of the baking pan. That's how you know it's time to pop it in the oven. See the picture below. That is what mine looked like and it was ready to bake! Sorry about the bad lighting, the sunlight was leaving me in the dust!

6. Once the dough has doubled in size again. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

7. Place the bread in the middle rack of the oven and bake for 30 minutes. After 3o minutes rotate the bread 180 degrees to promote even cooking and heating and cook for another 15-30 minutes. The bread is done when the top is golden brown and the top crust sounds hollow when thumped. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for at least 30 minutes and slice and eat!

Servings: 13

Nutritional Skinny:

107 calories / 3 g fat / 23.6 g carbohydrates / 2.3 g fiber / 5 g protein

Harvest Whole Wheat Bread

** The recipe is the same as above. The only changes I have highlighted...

2 1/2 cups (11.25 oz) whole wheat flour
1 1/2 cups (6.75 oz.) bread flour
1 1/2 tablespoons (.75 oz.) honey
1 1/2 teaspoons (.38 oz.) salt
3 tablespoons (1 oz.) powdered milk*
1 1/2 teaspoons (.17 oz.) instant yeast
2 tablespoons (1 oz.) unsalted butter or olive oil, at room temperature
1 1/4 cups (10 oz.) water, at room temperature
1/2 cup Ann's House Soy Energy Blend
1. Stir together the bread flour, whole-wheat flour, salt, powdered milk, and yeast in a 4-quart mixing bowl (or in the bowl of an electric mixer). Add the shortening, honey, and water. Stir (or mix on low speed with the paddle attachment) until the ingredients form a ball. If there is still flour in the bottom of the bowl, dribble in additional water. We used another 1/4 to 1/2 cup of water due to the thickness of the whole wheat flour. The dough should feel soft and slightly sticky. It is better for it to be a little too soft that to be too stiff so add water until you get to here.

2. Take 1/2 cup of the soy energy blend and place in a food processor.

3. Process until it looks like this.. Then add it to the dough.

4. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and kneed the dough for 7-10 minutes.

5. Place the dough in a greased metal bowl. Cover with saran wrap and set in a warm spot and allow the dough to rise for 60 to 90 minutes.

6. Then you are going to roll the dough out by hand into a 6 inch by 10 inch rectangle using your bread pan as a guide just like we did in the recipe above minutes sprinkling nuts in the middle, although you sure can if you wanted to!

7. Spray your pan with baking spray and place the dough in the pan. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and allow to rise for another hour to hour and a half. You want the dough to rise above the rim of the baking pan just like we did with the recipe above.
8. Once the dough has doubled in size again. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

7. Place the bread in the middle rack of the oven and bake for 30 minutes. After 3o minutes rotate the bread 180 degrees to promote even cooking and heating and cook for another 15-30 minutes. The bread is done when the top is golden brown and the top crust sounds hollow when thumped. Remove from the oven and allow to cool and slice and eat!

Servings: 13

Nutritional Skinny:


115 calories / 4 g fat / 25 g carbohydrates / 2.5 g fiber / 5.5 g protein


Mental Health Benefit: Okay to be honest I did feel a little like Martha Stewart meets the Alice from the Brady Bunch making my own home made bread. And you know what? I really liked that feeling. A little Alice. A little Martha. Really not so bad. And I know there aren't any chemicals in this bread because I made it myself and there is something about making it myself that makes every sandwich and piece of toast taste a little bit better. There is love in that bread, whether you agree that it's cute or not.. it is nutritious and filled with love.

I hope you get your hand at baking! Here's to fresh bread, home made love, and butter just warm enough to spread like heaven!