Thursday, March 3, 2011

Improving my mental health

I read an article about mental health that said people who "work" with their hands have markedly  better mental health than those who don't.  
This can take many forms: playing piano, gardening, sewing, decorating, cleaning, 
baking bread, woodworking, painting, fixing a car, dusting (okay, maybe not dusting).
So to improve my mental health and that of my sweet sister-in-law Loraine last Saturday, we made whole wheat bread.
She had never worked with yeast before.
And she did a wonderful job--totally "got" the kneading technique and the bread was seriously the best whole wheat bread I have made in years.  
(Okay, truth be told, I don't make bread all that often.)

Here she is.




And here is the delicious result.








Best Whole Wheat Bread

Description: 
A slightly sweet, healthy half-whole-wheat bread

Yield: 
1 loaf

Ingredients: 
1 cup warm water (110-115 degrees F)

1 tablespoon milk

2 tablespoons oil

2 tablespoons honey

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
 (I did use King Arthur flour this time)
2 teaspoons instant active dry yeast – I always use quick rise (bread machine) yeast.

Instructions: 
1. Combine first 6 ingredients in a large mixing bowl; stir.
2. Add flours and yeast, and knead until dough is smooth and elastic, about 10-15 minutes.  Shape into a loaf and place in greased loaf pan.
Cover with a clean towel and let rise in a warm place until doubled; about an hour 
4. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes. If loaf starts browning too soon, lightly place tin foil on top until bread is done.
5. Remove bread from oven and allow to rest in pan for a few minutes. Remove to a wire rack and cover with a cloth. 

6 comments:

  1. Ok, I'll be right over for a taste of this!!

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  2. will try soon. I've been making a rye bread, but ran out of that flour this week. I have lots of whole wheat, though!

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  3. Yay Mom & Aunt Sue!!!
    It looks yummy

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  4. Thanks for a great, great recipe. I will probably make this as our regular bread. The girls loved it, too! (We had it for supper tonight).

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  5. I was delighted to see your comment on my blog, and Glacier Park is my favorite place in the world, too! We don't get there very often, as we live near Billings, but there is no place like it.

    I enjoyed visiting your blog and I would like to try this bread recipe. It has been a while since I made bread and this recipe sounds wonderful; I can almost smell amd taste it!

    Blessings,
    Laurie

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  6. Wow! your bread turned out great! I tried my hand at bread awhile back..it did not turn out as pretty as yours did..It looks so yummy!

    Have a sweet day, Elizabeth

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