Don't Be Intimidated by Homemade Bread

You CAN make your own bread, even if you haven't made it before.

Searcy, Ark. –

Chances are, you’ve noticed some empty shelves at the grocery store lately. I got some bread but there weren’t many options. Have you ever made homemade bread? I used to “help” my mom make whole wheat bread. My sister was already in school, so I got to help. I loved helping mom! She gave me some dough and I kneaded it. And kneaded it, added some flour, and kneaded it some more. Added more flour... I was so very proud of MY bread that I hated to eat it. Years later, mom told me that my bread wasn’t that good – I had added too much flour!

Making your own bread may seem a bit intimidating if you haven’t made it before. But don’t let that scare you! Bread can be forgiving, and you learn from the mistakes. Besides, if you have kids at home, making bread together can be fun! They can help measure (put their math skills to work), stir/knead (uses motor skills), follow directions, clean up (yes, the most important part – they will make a mess and they can help clean it up!), and more. Hopefully, you have some yeast already but if not, try to find some!

If you want to get your feet wet with yeast bread with an easy version, here’s a great version of No-Knead Whole Wheat Bread from Iowa State University.

Ingredients:

1 ¼ cups (10 ounces) nonfat milk, lukewarm (100-110 degrees F)

¼ cup (2 ounces) orange or apple juice

3 tablespoons honey

1 teaspoon salt

1 packet instant yeast (about 2 ¼ teaspoons)

2 cups whole wheat flour

1 ¼ cups white all-purpose flour

Instructions:

Grease the sides and bottom of an 8 ½” x 4 ½” loaf pan with cooking spray or spread.

Combine the lukewarm nonfat milk, juice and honey in a large bowl. Add the remaining ingredients. Beat vigorously for 3 minutes. Dough will be very thick. Scoop the dough into prepared pan. Cover the pan with a clean towel. Let the dough rise in a warm place for 45-75 minutes, until almost double. Time varies according to room temperature.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F when dough is almost doubled. Remove towel and bake bread for about 30 minutes. Dough will pull away from sides of pan when bread is done. Let bread cool 30 minutes before slicing.

TIPS:

Make 2 smaller loaves using half sized loaf pans. Bake for 23-27 minutes.
Make herb dinner rolls. Mix 4 teaspoons of dried herbs such as oregano, parsley, basil, rosemary, or thyme into the batter. Use muffin tins and bake 15 minutes.

Make 100% whole wheat bread. Use 3 cups whole wheat flour instead of white and 3 tablespoons molasses instead of honey.
Heat cold milk in microwave for 45-60 seconds for lukewarm temperature. Test a drop on the inside of your wrist. It should feel very warm but not hot.
Keep whole wheat flour in refrigerator or freezer for storage. Bring flour to room temperature to make bread.
Instant yeast is also called fast-rising, rapid rise, quick rise, and bread machine yeast.

Nutrition Information per serving (16 servings per loaf):

110 calories, 0.5g total fat, 0mg cholesterol, 150mg sodium, 23g carbohydrates, 2g fiber, 5g total sugars, 4g protein, 31mg calcium, 1mg iron, 112mg potassium.

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By Katie Cullum
County Extension Agent - FCS
The Cooperative Extension Service
U of A System Division of Agriculture

Media Contact: Katie Cullum
County Extension Agent - FCS
U of A Division of Agriculture
Cooperative Extension Service
2400 Old Searcy Landing Road Searcy AR 72143
(501) 268-5394
kcullum@uada.edu

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