I've read several things lately that have convinced me that eating white breads is damaging to our health. Did you know that eating white breads adds up to a 1/2 inch increase directly to your waistline per YEAR?"US researchers have found that white bread is more likely than wholemeal bread to lead to extra fat around the waist, because the body breaks the calories down more quickly.
In a study of 459 healthy, middle aged people, the team from Tufts University in Boston discovered that participants who ate the most white bread saw the biggest increase in their waist measurements.
Their waists increased by an average of half an inch a year, which was three times more than people who ate the most wholemeal bread."
The other thing I've found is that most commercially produced breads contain high fructose corn syrup, which can cause a variety of health and emotional problems.
So I've begun experimenting with making my own whole grain breads using basic ingredients.
The first loaves I made with Sweetheart, The Baby and Monet, and I used only King Arthur's stone ground whole wheat flour, honey, salt, yeast and water. While it was delicious straight out of the oven, it wasn't the kind of bread I'd want to use to make sandwiches.
Next, I made a different bread recipe from Laurel's Kitchen, the basic bread recipe printed in one of the later editions, which contained oil and had a very detailed description of how to make the bread. I followed that to a T and it turned out much better. I think the key was additional rising time as well as longer final proofing.
The third baking I did was with part stone ground whole wheat and part with King Arthur's White Wheat. It turned out just right.
The next loaf I made was a 100% white whole wheat walnut bread from a recipe from King Arthur flours. It turned out amazingly soft and very yummy.
Today, I hope to make some with flax seed meal added.
One thing I've found is that when I've made bread in the past, I was making two major mistakes that were preventing me from getting the kind of loaves I wanted. First of all, I was adding too much flour. If you make whole wheat bread, and if it has any oil or honey at all in it, it will always remain somewhat sticky. It's important for it to be a firm mass, but not completely dry. If it's too stiff, it will end up as a brick.
The second mistake I was making was not letting it rise correctly. Sometimes I would just do one proofing and let it rise too long, which would allow the yeast to go past its prime. Sometimes I wouldn't let it rise long enough. And I know for a fact that I wasn't baking it long enough. Using a probe thermometer, the internal temp of the bread should reach 190 degrees farenheit.
Making bread does take extra time and energy, but it's good exercise for the arms (I knead mine by hand), it's so much healthier, and the family absolutely loves it. Some mornings, when we're in a hurry and heading out the door, we grab a loaf of bread and a stick of butter and eat on the run!
There are enough bread recipes on the King Arthur website to keep the kids and I busy for years.
If you'd like to try making your own bread, too, I'd be happy to help you as much as I can. Just leave me a comment and I'll see what I can do!
