I love baking bread!  I love the smell of fresh ground wheat and other grains.  Homemade bread so far superior to any bread that can be bought, and it really isn’t that hard, nor does it take a lot of time.  Many people argue that it’s not worth their time to make bread, but I simply cannot justify purchasing it.  My family does not feel satisfied with store-bought bread, and we can go through an awful lot of it in short order.  Besides, with prices around $2 per loaf, or higher, I just plain cannot afford to buy as much as we could use.  So I bake bread.
                      
I figure it costs around 25 cents per loaf for the ingredients.  I bake four loaves at a time, and sometimes eight, but if figured at four loaves, and it takes me 15 minutes to get it mixed and in the pans, then I am, in essence, getting four loaves for a dollar, and saving around $7.  (It takes around 20-30 minutes if hand kneaded.)  Since it took only 15 minutes, it could be said that I am making about $28 per hour to make that bread.  And since it is more filling, the bread will go farther, and my family will be healthier.

Why is whole wheat better?  There are so many reasons that whole books could be written about that subject.  The easiest way to explain it, though is that milling grain into white flour and then enriching it is like taking a dollar from someone and then giving about 5 cents back to them.  Most of the nutrients are in the wheat germ, which is a wonderful source of vitamins and fiber.  The germ has vitamin E, and the bran has the fiber.  There are a lot of other nutrients there, but suffice it to say that white bread may look nice, but it doesn’t have the holding power of whole wheat.  Not only that, but white flour has a greater effect on a person’s blood sugar.  The blood sugar levels will rise much faster with white flour, and then drop much faster.  Whole wheat bread (or any whole grains in any form, such as oatmeal or cracked brown rice hot cereal) will keep blood sugars much more level for a longer period of time.

The fiber is essential for keeping body processes moving along like they should.  This alone can reduce the risk of colon cancers and other problems.  Yes, enriched flour has a few vitamins added, but they simply don’t cover all the things that were removed and fiber is one of these things.

What if your family thinks that they don’t like whole wheat bread?  Then try another kind of wheat.  There are several kinds available to the public.  The most popular one is the hard red wheat.  Most people use this kind, including me.  However, I also sometimes use white wheat, which is more golden in color.  It doesn’t seem to have as much flavor as the red wheat, but it does make a lighter-colored bread.  This might be a good way to introduce your family to the joys of whole-grain cooking.  Another idea is to mix the two grains, so that the flavor is there, but the color is still lighter.

One word of warning.  Don’t try to drastically change your family’s diet in one day.  It will probably backfire on you.  If they are not used to whole grains, their systems are likely to rebel, causing some gastric distress.  It would be wiser to gradually increase the amount of whole grains in their diet instead.  Perhaps start with just a cup or two of whole wheat flour if the first batch of bread, and then over the next couple of weeks the amount can be increased.

Bread is a fairly forgiving item to cook.  The recipe can be varied according to whims and appetites, and can be a great way to use up things such as leftover oatmeal or that last egg in the carton.  The same basic recipe can be made into loaves, rolls, cinnamon rolls, pizza crust, and perhaps an apple braid.  Even schoolage children can learn to bake a good batch of bread.

I hand kneaded my bread for many years, until I was able to purchase a Bosch.  Either way works, and it isn’t necessary to have a machine, but it sure is nice!  However, my son still likes to hand knead the batches he bakes.

Here is a basic bread recipe and some optional ingredients that boost the nutritional levels.

Basic Bread

3/4 c. warm water, baby-bottle temperature
2 Tablespoons yeast (or two packets)
1 Tablespoon sugar
Sprinkle the yeast over the warm water in a big bowl.  Sprinkle with the sugar to give the yeast some food.  Let stand for a few minutes until it starts to bubble up.  Then add:
2 c. water or milk, or a combination
2 c. flour
3 Tbsp. sugar
2 tsp. salt
2-3 Tbsp. oil
Stir with a spoon, adding more flour when everything is well-mixed, and continue adding flour and eventually kneading with the hands until a soft, but barely not sticky, dough forms.  Knead a few minutes longer to soften the dough and release the gluten.  I sometimes then pick up the dough and slam it down on the table or counter a few times.  It sounds funny, but it really makes good dough even better.  The dough should be kneaded for a total of about 10-20 minutes.

Let rise for about a half hour, then punch down and form into two loaves.  The easiest way to do this is to basically knead it a little and then turn it and knead it the opposite way until it is the shape of a loaf.  Then pinch the edges together and put that side down in a greased loaf pan. 

Let rise again for about an hour, or until doubled in size.  Then bake at 350* for 35 minutes.

Optional ingredients:
1 egg, measured with the liquid ingredients
2 Tbsp. soy flour for added protein
2-4 Tbsp. wheat germ or bran
1 Tbsp. lecithin oil or granules
½ c. quick oats in place of some of the flour
small amounts of flour from other grains, such as millet, flax, oat groats, etc. These can be ground right with the wheat if you have your own grinder.

Experiment!  Have fun! And then enjoy the smiles of your family as they bite into your latest creation.