Birthday and Bread

We celebrated my 31st birthday this past Monday and it was such a treat! Brett had the entire day planned to pamper me beyond belief.


I was told I would have no "Mommy duties" but I didn't follow the rules. I couldn't help myself, it's just part of who I am!One of the treats of the day was when Brett took the boys in town to play and left me alone at the house. Now this is much bigger than you think because there was absolutely NO ONE at my house (no workers!). It was so quiet and I loved it! So what did I do? I decided to make bread. I had found some cracked wheat in Accra and was anxious to try and make wheat bread with the little bits of wheat on top like you can buy in America.


Now I've made bread with wheat flour before and it was ok...but this bread was incredible!
Brett said, "This tastes like sandwich bread we would buy in America" We figured out the cost (ingredients & transportation) and each loaf averages to about $2...still cheaper than the "good" whole grain stuff in the States.
The boys each ate 3 pieces toasted, with jelly, this morning for breakfast and were begging for more.
By the end of lunch (which was PB & J for the boys), the first loaf was completely gone.

I found this recipe on allrecipes.com under a section they had for making bread without a machine. I altered it slightly. So, for those of you still curious about the recipe...here it is exactly the way I made it. (You can find the original at allrecipes under "Simple Whole Wheat Bread")

3 cups warm water (110 degrees F)
3 t active dry yeast (or 2 (.25 ounce) packages)
1/3 c honey
4 cups flour
3 T butter, melted
1 T salt
4 c wheat flour
1/2 c cracked wheat
2 T butter, melted

1. In a large bowl, mix warm water, yeast and 1/3 c honey. Add 4 cups white flour, and stir to combine (I used my KitchenAid, dough hook, setting: stir). Let set for 30 minutes, or until big and bubbly.

2. Mix in 3 T melted butter, 1/3 c honey, and salt. Stir in 1/2 c cracked wheat and 3 c whole wheat flour. Flour (use wheat flour) a flat surface and knead with 1 c. wheat flour until not real sticky - just pulling away from the counter, but still sticky to touch. This may take an additional 2 c of whole wheat flour. Place in greased bowl, turning once to coat the surface of the dough. Cover with a dishtowel. Let rise in a warm place until doubled (I always use my oven).

3. Punch down, and divide into 3 loaves. Flour a clean surface with whole wheat flour and cracked wheat. Using rolling pin, roll dough out (cracked wheat on bottom). Starting from one end, roll dough tightly towards other end, pinching the seam to seal it. (Add more cracked wheat to the tops if desired) Place in greased loaf pans, and allow to rise until dough has topped the pans by one inch.

4. Bake at 350 degrees F for 25-30 minutes; do not overbake. Remove from pans to cooling rack. Lightly brush the tops of loaves with 2 T melted butter or margarine when done to prevent crust from getting hard. (Next time I will brush butter over entire loaf...it really did keep the top crust soft!) Cool completely.

Several of the comments said this was fool-proof, so I gave it a try and it was so simple! The best part was how yummy it was....seriously, you have to try it!