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Thread: The CookBook

  1. #61
    Join Date
    Apr 2007
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    [QUOTE=Powder;786359]If anyone is interested, I have a large collection of old, but digitized cookbooks. Some are extremely long and in need of editing. If it worked 200 years ago, it should work for us...

    Please let me know if you'd like me to continue posting these books. Many will have to be ten or more separate posts due to the board's size constraints.[QUOTE]

    It's a wonderful idea, Powder!

    Maureen

  2. #62
    Join Date
    Sep 2008
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    Ok, then I'm going to begin a new thread.
    Careful...the older I get, the less "life sentence" is a deterrent.

  3. #63
    Join Date
    Nov 2007
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    19,250

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    Guys...

    This is THE most foolproof 100% whole wheat bread recipe I've ever used. You can make it in a bread machine, or double or triple it and make it with a Kitchenaid type mixer. Or, just mix it up in a large bowl (or even a 5 gallon pail... that's how I used to do it when my weekly bread making meant making 12 loaves (two or three would vanish down the maws of hungry teens and husband by nightfall, the rest would disappear by week's end!). If you must do it by hand, a well floured pastry cloth really is a must. I made one that fits my kitchen table, with elastic bands attached at each corner, out of 10 ounce cotton duck fabric... a whole lot cheaper than buying a "ready made" one, and very simple... it took 2 yards of 48" wide cotton duck. I folded it in half, and then serged the edges together- the doubled fabric makes it much sturdier, and less "wrinkly" when you're rolling out stubborn dough.

    HoneyWhole Wheat Bread


    1½ cups water
    2 tsp salt
    1/3 cup honey
    4 cups whole wheat flour
    ¼ cup vitalwheat gluten (OPTIONAL- notnecessary with good whole wheat flour)
    2 tblsp butter
    2 tblsp drymilk (OR just replace ½ cup of the water with whole milk)
    1 tsp activedry yeast

    To make:

    Either follow your bread machine procedures (they vary, so I won't post them here). Or... put your WARM (90-110°... basically, if it just feels warm when you put a drop on the inside of your wrist, it's good) water and dry milk (or fresh milk) into your mixing bowl. Add the honey and butter. Sprinkle your dry yeast on top, let it set for 5 minutes or so to moisten (this keeps you from getting yeast "balls" that can be tough to break up), then stir in.

    Let sit an additional 5 minutes. Add 1 cup flour, and your wheat gluten (if you're using it), and the salt. Beat up well, beating vigorously to start developing the gluten.

    Add the rest of the flour, mixing well. If you're doing this by hand, you probably want to use about 3/4 of the flour while stirring with a heavy wooden spoon. When it gets too stiff to stir, dump the sticky dough onto a well floured pastry cloth (or clean countertop) and knead in the rest of the flour by hand.

    Knead 3-5 minutes by machine, or probably close to 10 minutes by hand, until the dough is elastic. This is something you learn by experience... less well kneaded dough will give you a crumbly bread, and it won't rise as well.

    THIS IS A STICKY DOUGH! No matter what, it never gets to the "smooth and elastic" phase some nice white breads will. That's ok- it turns out fine. Just keep your hands well floured while working it, and don't add a lot of extra flour trying to get it "smooth"- it will end up really dry.

    Once it's kneaded, place in a greased bowl (at least twice the volume of the dough you have). Turn the dough ball once, so it's greased on top. Cover with a damp towel, or saran wrap. Place in a warm spot, and let rise until doubled. This could take anywhere from 1-2 1/2 hours, depending on the warmth of your house. You can also place it in a cool spot or even the refrigerator and let it rise overnight, if it starts getting late in the day.

    When it's doubled, punch it down, knead it a bit, and place in a well greased bread pan. The recipe size above makes 1, 4 1/2 x 9" loaf. Cover with a damp cloth or saran wrap.

    Let rise again until doubled... you'll know it's ready when you poke a finger gently into the top. If it springs back, it's not risen fully yet. If your fingerprint stays indented, it's good. If your finger poked a hole in it and it started to deflate, you let it rise too much. Don't panic! Just dump it back out of the pan onto your pastry cloth, knead it again, shape it into the loaf shape again and put it back into the loaf pan. This time, don't let it rise that long!

    Place in preheated 350° oven and bake for 30-40 minutes. The best way to be sure your bread is fully baked is to use an instant read thermometer, placed in the center of the loaf. If it reads 190°, it's done! If not, put it back in the oven for another 5 minutes, or until it does reach that temp.

    Lacking a thermometer, tip the loaf out of the pan onto your (protected) hand. Tap on the bottom of the loaf with a finger. If it sounds a bit "hollow", it's done.

    Let the loaf cool for at least 5-10 minutes before slicing into it! It's actually best to let bread cool completely before slicing, as it does continue to "cook" a bit while cooling, and retaining the intact crust keeps it a bit more moist. However, one of the true pleasures in life is eating freshly baked, hot bread, straight from the oven, with a nice chunk of butter melting into the pores. Heavenly!

    Summerthyme

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