The other day I went exploring. See, I get stuck in Waikiki. If you've ever been on the island of Oahu, you'll know that Waikiki is the most touristy, urban, noisy part of the island. It's easy to get stuck here, especially without a car. However, when I do I enjoy it immensely. It was a nice, only slightly windy, day when I got off the bus only about two miles into town away from Waikiki. I felt like I was in a whole new world, so instead of catching a bus home again I decided to walk.
This wonderful walk took me to a bakery where I enjoyed an azuki bean bun and a fresh cup of coffee, then to one of the only locally owned co-op type grocers, Down to Earth. It's actually all vegetarian, so they don't even sell eggs, which I was informed of by an elderly woman in the bulk food aisle.
Speaking of the bulk food aisle, I was in heaven. Wheat germ, gluten-free flour, buckwheat flour, bulk steel rolled oats, bulk this, bulk that, bulk everything I might EVER WANT TO BAKE WITH! Including 9-grain cereal.
9-grain cereal is a mix of any cracked whole grains, and exactly what I've always wanted to make bread with. I'm not sure all the grains in this particular mix, but I'm sure it had oats, corn, rye, flax, and hard red wheat. I don't always like to follow recipes, nor do I always like the search for a good recipe. So what I did was go to a trusty source, find a recipe that was at least a little bit like what I wanted, and dealt.
This is what I like to call "modifying" a recipe.
So I went to my first love, A Year in Bread and used Susan's Honey Bran Honey Whole Wheat Sandwich Bread as a jumping off point.
The recipe itself is amazing, I'd check it out if I was you, and my modifications made what my roomie called, "the best bread you've ever made." And he likes all the bread I make, so that's saying something.
I should also say that I like baking bread more than I like baking anything else. I'm one of those people who'd rather have a big hunk of white bread than a cupcake or a cookie. I'd rather have a thick slice of whole grain bread toasted spread with peanut butter than a hunk of white bread. Plus, making bread is one of the most satisfying things I've ever done. It seems like a miracle as the yeast comes to life, making the dough grow, and kneading? Pure, physical joy. I love it. I love the way it all comes together and how I know now exactly how it should look and feel.
Yes, it took time. Yes, it took patience and practice, but I'm so happy I did it. I'm so happy I got to where I am with bread, and this ladies and gents is proof to me that I'm on the path I want to be on. At least where baking is concerned.
9-Grain Sandwich Bread
Adapted from A Year in Bread's Susan's Honey Bran Honey Whole Wheat Sandwich Bread
*I pretty much copy pasted the directions, what with the percocet and all impeding my brain functions
4 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups bread flour
2 Cups 9-grain cereal
1½ Tablespoons active dry yeast
2 Tablespoons canola oil or melted butter (I use butter)
1/3 cup honey
5 cups lukewarm milk about 85 degrees F (I used buttermilk and soy milk mixed because that's what I had on hand, so use whatever kind you have on hand. If you buy milk specifically for this recipe, I'd recommend buttermilk because it's quite yummy in the receipe)
4 cups white whole wheat flour
2 Tablespoons salt
Mixing and fermentation
Combine yeast and 1 cup of all-purpose flour in a very large bowl, then pour in 2 cups of milk. Let stand for 8-10 minutes until bubbly. Then stir together the rest of the all-purpose flour, the bread flour, and the 9-grain cereal (I use a cheap-o plastic spoon). Pour in the canola oil, the honey, and then the rest of the milk. Mix well, then continue to stir vigorously, slowly adding 1 cup of the white whole wheat flour at a time, until you've added 4 cups, or until you have a soft, slightly sticky dough. This should take a few minutes.
Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead for about 6 or 7 minutes, adding more flour as necessary to keep the dough from sticking to your hands or the work surface.
Place the mixing bowl over the dough, and let it rest for 20 minutes.
Remove the bowl, flatten out the dough with your hands, and sprinkle about half of the salt over it. Begin kneading the salt into the dough. After a few turns, sprinkle on the rest of the salt and continue to knead for 5 to 7 minutes, until the salt is completely incorporated and the dough is soft and smooth.
Clean out your bowl. Spray it down good with cooking spray and put dough back in it. Cover with plastic wrap and let it rise to about double (which should take an hour to an hour and a half).
(This is the best advice I've ever gotten about dough being ready, so listen up!) When the dough is ready to be shaped, you should be able to push a floured finger deep into it and leave an indentation that doesn't spring back. Unless your dough is rising in a straight-sided container, it can be difficult to judge whether it has "doubled in size," which is the guideline most recipes use. I find the finger poking method to be more reliable.
Shaping and final rise (proof)
Turn the risen dough out onto a lightly floured work surface, flattening gently with your hands to break up any large air bubbles. Divide the dough into three equal pieces.
Shape the dough into loaves and dust the tops with flour. Place loaves seam side down in greased loaf pans.
Cover the loaves with a damp tea towel and let them rise for 45 to 60 minutes. The dough should rise well above the rim of the pans, and when you lightly poke it with a floured finger it should spring back just a little.
Bake at 375 degrees for 40 minutes or until the loaves are golden brown and the bottoms sound hollow if tapped (you can carefully pop one out of the pan and put it back in if it's not quite done). Remove immediately from pans and let cool on a wire rack. Try to wait at least 40 minutes before cutting into a loaf, as it continues to bake while cooling. Store at room temperature or freeze in zipper freezer bags. Make sure loaves are completely cooled before sealing in bags.
Here's a couple of links I like:
This one's good to learn how to knead, and I used this one to learn how to shape a loaf.
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