Bread Wars

I decided to start making my own bread a few weeks ago, for the primary reason that store-bought bread has a lot of additives, preservatives, and doesn't really taste all that great. I was already waging war against all the food in my kitchen under the banner of clean eating, so by George, I was going to make the best bread EVER and never buy it again! (Hubris alert)

Bread-making runs in my blood. My paternal grandfather is famed for making amazing bread, and my father and brother reportedly inherited the gene. I've had some success myself; my focaccia is well-received, my banana bread is matchless, and I made a terrific flax and almond loaf a few weeks ago. This resume bolstered my confidence that I could regularly make my own bread for all purposes. No sweat.

After doing some reading on flours, I discovered that white, store-bought flour is devoid of nutrients, having been stripped of the bran and the germ. Organic whole wheat is a good choice for health, being full of vitamins and protein and fiber. You can buy it at the store, or, even better, grind your own! So, being the good little soldier that I am, I ordered some organic whole winter white wheat and a gorgeous, gleaming mill that would make Martha Stewart jealous.

Milling ones own flour is an experience of surpassing earthiness. Aside from the fact that my mill runs on a motor and plugs into the wall, I have never felt so close to my pioneer forebears as when I poured whole wheat kernels into the mill and received a pile fresh, warm flour in return. It was the soil in which my dreams of crunchy-granola earth-mother bread-making ascendancy would take root and bloom into reality...Or not.

With great pomp and ceremony, I made my first loaf of wholemeal bread. It came out of the oven looking gorgeous...but tasted like dirt and was as heavy as a brick. It made a loud thud as it hit the bottom of the garbage can.

Undeterred, I tried again with a different recipe, petit pain au lait. That is evidently French for "little deformed cousins of biscuits." They were dense and biscuit-esque, but not bad, considering I used yeast that I discovered later had expired in 2005. For these I used 1:4 wholemeal to white flour ratio.

I tried the petits pains again with unexpired yeast and all whole wheat flour. To my great surprise, they came out better than the previous batch. They were hearty but light and, although they had the characteristic bitter aftertaste of whole wheat, they tasted great with nutella. SUCCESS! After a few days, the little buns made a fabulous French toast.

I found some recipes specifically for whole wheat flour, so we'll see how those turn out. I will also be using the grain mill to make oat, rice, barley, and quinoa flour. I can't wait!