homemade whole wheat bread

after my sweet husband gave me a wheat grinder a few months ago, i decided i would make our bread instead of buying it at the store. i believe homemade whole wheat bread from freshly ground wheat is much better for you than the stuff you get on the bread aisle. plus, check out the ingredient list for the bread you buy and don't be surprised when you see high fructose corn syrup listed. that stuff is in everything!

this is the best bread recipe i've found. it's delish, soft, and my hubby says it makes the best PB&J sandwiches. usually i will make two loaves, slice one to keep in our pantry, and freeze the other loaf, unsliced, in a bread bag*. just thaw the frozen loaf on the counter for a few hours, cut into slices, and store in the pantry. my small family only goes through maybe a loaf a week so making bread every two weeks isn't a big deal.
i made a few changes in the directions so the recipe will work in my oven, but you can find the original recipe and a how-to video on the everyday food storage website. plus, she has a good idea on making bread packets to keep in the fridge or freezer so bread making day is much easier.

EZ Wheat Bread - makes 2 loaves
adapted from everydayfoodstorage.net

2 1/2 cup warm water
2 Tbsp active dry yeast
1/2 cup honey or 2/3 cup brown sugar
5 1/2 cups whole wheat flour (i use half hard red and half hard white wheat)
1/2 cup vital wheat gluten*
2 tsp salt
4 Tbsp nonfat non instant dry milk (or 2/3 cup of the instant)
2 Tbsp butter/margarine/oil
2 Tbsp vinegar (instead i use 4 tsp dough enhancer*)
1/2 cup potato flakes (NOT potato pearls)

Mix ingredients in order listed in mixing bowl of mixer with dough hook attachment (like kitchen-aid) for 12-15 minutes. Let rise until double, 1- 1 1/2 hours. Punch down, and shape into loaves or rolls. To shape loaves, divide dough in half. Use a rolling pin to roll out the dough into a rectangle about 1/4-1/2" thick. then start at a short end and tightly roll the dough up. pinch the ends together and tuck them under so it will fit the greased bread pan. Repeat with the other portion of dough. Let rise again until double and bake 350 degrees for 20 minutes, rotating the pans half way, until golden brown and sounds hollow when lightly tapped. It won't be easy because the bread smells heavenly, but let loaves cool completely before cutting or they will turn gummy.

If you are making this recipe in a bread machine, follow your bread machine’s directions for wheat or whole grain selection and add the ingredients in the order listed for their recommendations. (only one loaf will fit in a bread maker)

*i bought my vital wheat gluten, dough enhancer, and bread bags at kitchen kneads in west jordan, ut. if anyone knows where to get any of that stuff cheaper, let me know.

do it yourself -- yogurt

my mom and dad used to make homemade yogurt when i was younger. i didn't really like it. it was tart, not sweet, and didn't taste like the "candy" varieties (ahem, yoplait) i was used to. i guess my taste buds have grown up because i am a plain yogurt lover. a year ago, i decided to make my own. i found some recipes on allrecipes.com (<-click here to see them) and had fun experimenting. back then i didn't have a yogurt maker so this is what i did instead: (you really need a cooking thermometer to make this.)

in a large glass bowl, heat 4 cups of milk to 180-185 degrees (i use the microwave). once the milk has reached desired temperature, let it cool to 115 degrees while covered with plastic wrap. mix some of the warm milk with 2 tablespoons of plain yogurt containing active cultures. before adding the yogurt, stir 1/3 cup powdered milk into the warmed milk. then pour the thinned yogurt into the bowl, (you don't need to stir it again) re-cover the bowl with plastic wrap as well as a towel and put in a warm place where it will stay between 112-115 degrees. i used a hot pad, but a heating blanket will work too. let it "incubate" for 6-8 hours. the longer you leave it, the thicker and more tart it will get. then refrigerate for at least 4 hours.

i've had to play around with the recipe a few times to get it right and once i got my yogurt maker, (thanks mom and dad!) i had to experiment some more to get the results i wanted. my batches always end up with a layer of clear liquid on the top. i never stir it in, just pour it out before i use it and it stays nice and thick. just remember this yogurt is "homemade". it doesn't have the gelatin, or other stabilizers to give it the same texture of store bought yogurt.

i came up with the following on my own because the recipes that came with my yogurt maker didn't give me the texture i wanted.

yogurt maker yogurt:

heat 2 cups milk until it reaches 180-185 degrees. meanwhile, pour 1 cup powdered milk in a pint measuring cup. fill the measuring cup with cold water until the level reaches 2 cups. stir in the powdered milk until well combined. mix 2 tablespoons plain yogurt with 2 tablespoons of the cold milk. then, mix the hot milk with the cold milk but do not add thinned yogurt yet. pour the hot/cold milk mixture into the yogurt maker jars. divide the thinned yogurt among the jars, but do not stir it in. place the jars in the yogurt maker, cover with the lid and turn the timer on for 6 to 7 hours. when the yogurt is done, put the lids on the jars and refrigerate them for at least 4 hours.

i love to eat yogurt with this granola recipe, (<-click link), substitute it for sour cream, and add it to smoothies.

learnin' to jam part II

using more of my father-in-law's nectarines, i decided to attempt more jam. i made two batches: nectarine-blueberry, and low sugar nectarine-pomegranate. i decided i LOVE the no/low sugar pectin. the jam sets up so well and it is nice and tart because you can control the amount of sugar you use. i just followed the recipes that came with the pectin and added the amounts of fruit and sugar i wanted. for the nectarine-pomegranate jam, i added a handful of pomegranate seeds to the jar just before filling and stirred the jam and seeds together. then i proceeded with the water bath canning. i am seriously never buying jam again, (well, unless it is raspberry jam, because raspberries are expensive!)

learnin' to jam

this is my first attempt making jam. these beautiful nectarines came from my father-in-law's orchard. i searched the internet to learn how to make nectarine jam and found this one that doesn't call for pectin and uses a lot less sugar than most recipes. i added 1/4 teaspoons each of cinnamon and ginger, and about a tablespoon of vanilla extract. yum!

nectarines don't break down as much as other types of fruit, even after boiling for 30 minutes. so they need to be finely diced. no need to peel them, though.

i probably should have used a bigger pot for this batch. let's just say my stove and counters were covered in sticky jam splatters.

ten nectarines gave me three pints. i'm still waiting for them to set up so the jam is more like chunky syrup right now. but it tastes great and would be awesome on pancakes or waffles. maybe i'll use a pectin recipe next.

you say tomato...i say salsa!

after seeing all the beautiful tomatoes this season, i HAD to make some salsa. this is something i've never done before, but i thought, 'how hard can it be?' after experimenting a little, i decided to use the recipe in my better homes and gardens cookbook. of course i rarely follow a recipe, i consider recipes more of a guideline, so i added some chipoltle tobasco sauce for a little smoky flavor, skipped the sugar and ground pepper, and used bell peppers instead of poblanos. i think the end result turned out pretty well for my first time, though the entire process took a lot longer than i was planning. i'm not an expert canner so i hope i don't give myself botulism or some other form of food poisoning. i did follow the canning directions, but i guess if i'm hospitalized in the next few weeks we'll know why. . . just kidding. now for some pictures!

my wonderful father-in-law got me these lovely tomatoes from a local farmer.

here's the big grand-daddy of them all. after seeing this monster, i had "attack of the killer tomatoes" stuck in my head. (don't ask me how i remember that show, i've never watched it, so i have no idea!)

hayden kept calling them apples and wanted to hold, but not eat one.
my nice clean jars are ready.
i'm so excited i don't have to buy salsa for a while!