I've baked whole grain breads in the past, and my attempts haven't failed, but I wouldn't say that they've succeeded either. The standards have been set so high by this bread from Great Harvest, that I felt like I may never be satisfied with anything else.
I was determined however, and after a long hiatus, I recently tried again. I made Peter Reinhert's sandwich loaf, from his whole grain bread book, and it turned out fantastic.
The bread is soft, and has great flavor, not the bitter, off-putting flavor often associated with whole grains, and it's perfect for sandwiches. This bread easily matches its counterpart from Great Harvest, and I'm debating baking a loaf every sunday. I really can't get enough of this bread, and though I would feel guilty if I put the recipe up here (i'm sure you can find it elsewhere) I urge you to try this for yourself, if not for the health benefits the taste.
11 comments:
I started making my own bread about a year ago, and have become addicted to it! I now bake one loaf on a Sunday, slice it, and make sandwiches for lunch on Monday / Tuesday, then freeze the rest for sandwiches for the rest of the week.
It tastes soooo much better than shop bought bread, makes your apartment smell nice, and isn't full of additives.
If you haven't tried making a bloomer loaf, you should try that - great for sandwiches. Let me know if you want a recipe!
That is one beautiful loaf of bread! Do you cake yeast or instant? Just curious.
You shouldn't feel guilty about posting the recipe. The combination of ingredients itself is not copyrighted. The book is, and all of the words to introduce the recipe, but not the actual recipe.
See here for copyright law.
Oh right, and, YUM.
I recently made a loaf and some rolls of Brioche. It turned out great. I agree with another commenter that" it tastes soooo much better than shop bought bread"
It is difficult to get a fine-ground whole wheat flour. Gold Medal used to ship one to groceries. They bragged on the bag that they use steel rollers, not stone, because it is "better." The coarse grind available most places does not quite make the best loaf in my opinion. If I make whole grain bread I grind the flour finer in my coffee mill. Whole wheat flour goes bad faster than processed and bleached. I guess that's why a fine grind is hard to find.
When I decided to take high fructose corn syrup out of my diet, I had to quit buying my whole wheat bread from Great Harvest.
But of course, nothing beats homemade bread. Maybe it's time to dig out the bread pans again.
It's something I've missed out on Nick. I've not done nearly enough baking, or for that matter pastry work in general. Your bread looks really good.
That has got to be the most perfect loaf of bread I've ever seen. I'm so jealous!
Peter Reinhart's the man. I just finished the instructional section of The Bread Baker's Apprentice and am trying the basic French bread/Baguette formula this weekend. HIGHLY recommend the book, btw. It's like getting private bread lessons from the Johnson & Wales instructor.
Isn't it just so satisfying to make your own bread? I love knowing exactly what's in it, and the smell in house when it's almost done. Congratulations on a great loaf, and a great site.
I don't like bread either. Still I should give it a try. I'm making this tomorrow. I think I'll try to shoot it, but I don't think it will be as pretty as your picture!
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