I made wheat bread today. From scratch. From total scratch. I opened up a #10 can of white wheat from my pantry and formally introduced myself. Then I asked Blake didn't we get a wheat grinder for Christmas that one time? He thought and thought and then remembered. He helped me recover it from a remote closet corner.
We dusted it off and then both watched it make its virginal run with the wheat I had just met. It was so fun to watch. Blake turned the crank and we watched it spit out flour for a while, until I got jealous he was having all the fun. So then I turned the crank while he watched, 30 times with my left arm and then 30 times with my right. Just to make sure the muscles on one arm don't get bigger than the ones on the other side.
When I had a bunch of newly made flour I turned to Trainer Mama who walked me through her recipe with pictures, step-by-step.
There were a few hiccups, as I expected, since my life has never before been breadmaking-tolerant. My loaves didn't rise very high. I wish they were fatter and taller. I'm assuming it's because I didn't put it in a warm enough spot for rising. It's the first time this year my house has cooled on its own to less than 80 degrees inside, so I will need to coax some warmth from somewhere. A wheatwise neighbor advised me to turn on the oven to a low temp and let the loaves rise on the stove-top. My SIL also recommended that I use a thermometer to assure the water temperature is exactly what the recipe calls for. That should help next time.
Who knew bread ingredients were so temperamental. (I mean, besides my domestic neighbor, my sister-in-law Anna, Food Network, thousands of bloggers,
...and a large percentage of my friends.) And now me. Yay!
The smell of that bread in the house today! The taste of the hot bread with honey and butter! It was worth all the trouble. If I was good at bragging I might say I'm the most awesome mom of the day.
Maybe tied with Mrs. Duggar. Or maybe I can't beat her.
But I went up a notch today anyway. I'm proud.
Today I learned that one cup of white whole wheat kernals equals 1 3/4 cups of whole wheat flour. I love that I know that.
(P.S. Now I have learned to grind kernals, tomorrow I will learn to spell KERNELS correctly. One thing at a time, right?)
10 comments:
You're just doing awesome posts in an effort to dethrone Lauren from my top spot, aren't you?
As always, I love you, I love your blog, I love your writing, I love your sense of humor. And I miss you!
There's a shot of EgoBoost to your heart. (so it can keep up with those big, muscley arms)
Way to go Jenna! That's all I can say since I don't know anything about baking, cooking or anything to with "scratch".
use the 'no knead wheat bread' recipe in the ward cookbook....it rocks...like you! ;)
congrats on your marvelous creation!
I guess my trick of letting the dough rise in the laundry room with the furnace isn't going to work in AZ.
How great for you! Me and cooking don't get along very well but every once in a while it comes together. congrats on your success.
Where is your electric grinder?
You haven't bought us one yet, Papa Fred :)
Hand-cranking takes FOR-EVER. It's so good to know that stuff though right?
I bake bread every week. We quick-rise the bread by preheating to the lowest temp (170 on mine...150 on others). Place dough in oven and turn it OFF. Let rise for 30 minutes. Keep loaves in oven and turn it on to 350 degrees and cook 25-30 minutes. Works like a charm for us.
Good job! Keep baking bread and you'll become a master. Where was this interest in using your food storage when I was there?
Your counter tops are pretty. I like.
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