Here's the great bread recipe that I got from Amy...who got it from Cheryl...
As you can see, it's gotten quite a bit of use since I received it...last month!
I have a few 'connections' with friends who have grain grinders =) and they've let me grind some wheat flour for my freezer! Thank you, Thank you!
It is amazing the difference it makes in the taste. I've also read that once grain is milled the wheat germ oil becomes rancid (though wheat berries will last indefinitely on the shelf!).
You must also know that for my entire life, it has been a goal of mine to make bread from scratch. Yet I have been completely terrified of trying... partially due to my phobia of baking, and also because I have no idea what to do! Well, since I was well informed from my friend about how the Kitchenaid mixer kneads the dough for you...I felt empowered to try! So for those of you who knead without the Kitchenaid...my hat is off to you!!!...perhaps someday I'll get up the courage to try...with a tutorial, of course!

Here's how my friend walked me through it...
- you dissolve the sugar or honey (honey supposedly makes it more moist?)
- stir in the yeast (I keep my, Costco size, in the freezer, some keep it in the fridge) and let it sit till the mixture bubbles
- add the olive oil and salt
MIx in six cups of flour....
 - this recipe recommends using at least two cups white flour and the rest whole wheat or a mixture of several types of flour....
- Yet, if you want to try 100% whole wheat go for it...my wise and experimental friend, Amy, used a mixture of flour made from soft wheat berries and hard winter wheat berries, and found that it worked well. You can also add a couple tablespoons of vital wheat gluten (should also be stored in the freezer) keep it from becoming too dense and crumbly.
- Knead till smooth (I've always thought this was such a vague statement...coming from one who wouldn't know when 'smooth' was really the type of ' smooth' it should be!)...8-10 min on medium/high speed with the dough hook attachment of the Kitchenaid...is more my style of directions (though I capable of change!).
- Let rise in a greased bowl...covered with a cloth...in a warm oven (you can heat up the oven to 250* and then turn it off and let it warm in there)...for one hour
- Shape it, then let it rise again...for another 15 minutes or so...
- And YES, I did forget to copy down what temperature to bake it at....Any suggestions? 
I'd also love more recipes and tips....
We use this for pizza dough and I made calzones with it last night....
Thanks for the recipe and help, Amy!


Tenisha
5/16/2008 03:19:09 am

Wow Lisa! You did it! Sounds yummy. I'd love to try some next time we make it up there!

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Christa
5/16/2008 04:16:59 am

That recipe sounds really good. Maybe I will have to try it. Yesterday I mentioned the sweetener yacon root syrup. I'll just briefly tell you some more about it. You can purchase it online, I have yet to find it in any store, and you can get it in either in powder form or as a syrup. It is non-glycemic, natual , raw and low calorie. It actually improves vitamin absorbtion and reduces your cancer risk. Yacon syrup is rich in antioxidents at a superfood level. It is packed with sweetness and yet dramaticlly less glycemic than honey, agave, or maple syrup. The human body has no enzyme to digest the particular type of sugar that is in yacon syrup(hydrolyze Fos). So the sugar goes right through the digestive tract unmetabolized, and you get to enjoy the sweetness. It is expensive( is'nt everything that is health food, costly) at about twenty dallars for a container, but it's maybe something that you could get evenually. I have yet to purchase yacon syrup, myself, due to the cost and having to buy it online. But it sure sounds interesting. Imagine, a sweetner that is actually a healthy and not just an addictive that we normally use that is mandatory to make some foods palatable.

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Lisa
5/17/2008 04:49:22 am

Tenisha,
Don't worry about making it up here...it's our turn to go visit you in your new house....once you're up to speed again. I'd love to help you in your garden! Of course, you have to say the word!
Christa,
Thanks for the tip...I've never heard of that before...I'll keep my eye open for it...let me know if you get it and try it. I'm all about finding replacements for sugar! I just wish they weren't so expensive!

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8/8/2010 12:33:36 pm

Art is the mold of feeling as language is the mold of thought.

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