Whole Wheat Sourdough Bread

For years I've wanted to try making sourdough bread.  I haven't done a lot of study, but know that it's a natural way to raise your bread and the fermentation breaks down the hard to digest proteins found in some grains, like wheat.  I've noticed on my journey towards health that sometimes my digestion with all of the grains and beans isn't great.  A good friend of mine shared with me her sourdough start and taught me how to maintain it as well as cook bread with it.  I'm incredibly grateful to her!  Since her visit with me about a month ago, I have been making sourdough bread.  I've not been eating any other bread except Sourdough, as a test to see if it would help my digestion and it has, tremendously!  Even eating more beans in conjunction with the sourdough has helped my total digestion.

If you are interested in creating your own Sourdough Start, I found a recipe HERE.  There are many starter recipes available, if you don't like this one, feel free to find your own!  Experiment and have fun!

Above is a picture of my start.  I add to it daily or every other day and stir it daily.

There are also many bread recipes available.  Below is the recipe I use.  Its from the book "The Art of Baking With Natural Yeast" 

Whole Wheat Sourdough Bread

6 cups Whole Wheat Flour

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup starter

3 cups tepid water

1/4 cup honey or agave

Add all ingredients in a large mixing bowl.  Mix well. Don't worry about the stickiness of this dough.  It will be different than any other bread dough you've ever made.  I promise! :)

Cover and set aside for 8 hours.

Spray 2 loaf pans with non stick spray.  Wet hands and separate dough in two.  Using your hands to gently shape the dough (it won't be perfect, that's ok) and place prepared loaf pans.  Let rise on your counter for 2 hours.  It will not raise above the bread pan edge like normal bread will.  After two hours of rise time, place in the oven and cook at 350 for 45 minutes.

My kids LOVE this bread.  It makes amazing toast with coconut oil and honey spread on it or with Vegenaise & heaps of veggies like avocado, tomato, cucumber, lettuce, etc.

Enjoy!!

Biscuits

I love how quick and easy this recipe is.  They taste great with coconut oil and honey or homemade jam!  Enjoy!

Biscuits

2 cups spelt flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons oil

1 tablespoon ground flax soaked in 2 tablespoons water for 5 minutes

1 cup almond milk

Mix dry ingredients.  Add oil, flax mixture, and milk.  Stir only until ingredients are combined.  Drop onto a well greased (nonstick sprayed) stainless steel muffin tins.  Bake at 425 for 14 minutes. Yield:12 large biscuits.

Homemade Whole Wheat or Spelt Tortillas

 With little prep, these wonderful tortillas can be made and frozen or refrigerated for a few weeks.  They can be put in the oven or re-heated in a cast iron skillet.  Do not use the microwave because they can make these very tough and/or gooey.  We like these tortillas with beans, onions, avocado, tomato and lettuce.  We will put hot sauce on it as well.  My kids still eat ketchup on theirs.  I use my Bosch to mix the dough but these can be mixed by hand, kneading it for a couple of minutes to mix it well.  I also use a tortilla press.  I LOVE my tortilla press, it's one of the best investments.  I use a Villaware but I did see a CucinaPro on Amazon that is comparable. If you do not have the money to get one of these now, they can be rolled out with a rolling pin and using non stick spray in a cast iron skillet, cooked on both sides until the color slightly changes.  Here's the recipe!  Any questions please leave comments, because if you have questions, likely others do too!  Also, feel free to email me at jen78johns@yahoo.com

Homemade Tortillas

4 cups spelt or whole wheat flour

1/4 teaspoon baking powder (optional)

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 coconut oil or canola oil

1 1/4 cup warm water

Mix dry ingredients.  Add the wet ingredients and mix for 1 minute.  Let rest for 5 minutes.  Divide into 12-24 balls.  Roll out or press in a tortilla press until the color slightly changes.  It's okay to have some dark spots, especially around the edges.  If you over cook these they will be crispy, which isn't a bad thing, but to keep them pliable stack them on top of each other after cooking and store in a plastic bag or container to hold a little moisture after they have cooled slightly and are warm.  It will keep them soft and pliable.

Quick Skillet Bread

I just posted a great recipe on Nutrition Principles.  This recipe is like a small crepe and is very tasty and quick!  I hope you like it!

Whole Wheat Bread

Whole Wheat Bread

5 cups warm water (shower hot)

1/4 cup honey or agave

1/4 cup oil 

1 tablespoon salt

6-7 cups whole wheat flour 

(12-14 cups total, adding the rest later)

2 heaping tablespoons saf yeast

Add these ingredients to your mixer in this exact order!  Mix well for 1 minute.  Then add the remaining flour 1 cup at a time until it cleans the sides of the bowl.  Knead for 6-8 minutes.  (sometimes I use all the flour asked for, other times I don't.  It really depends on many things: the moisture in the air, the elevation, etc.)

Spray 5 bread pans well with nonstick spray.  Shape 5 loaves and put into the bread pans.  Let raise 20-30 minutes or until double in size.  Bake at 350 for about 35 minutes.  Let cool for about 10 minutes before slicing.

My bread fell just a little, if you can see in the picture above. This will happen if your dough is too sticky or wet or if it is too dry.  It could be the result of a draft in your kitchen, like an open window or door that blows air in.  It could be any sudden change in temperature in your kitchen.  Sometimes it just falls slightly no matter what you do!  So, just slice it and eat it as usual and don't worry about it!  

Breadsticks

Breadsticks

5 cups warm water (shower hot)

1/4 cup honey

1/4 cup oil

1 tablespoon salt

6-7 cups whole wheat or spelt flour

(12-14 cups total, the rest will be added later)

2 heaping tablespoons saf-instant yeast (add last)

Add these ingredients to your mixing bowl in this order! Mix for about a minute. ADD: the remaining flour 1 cup at a time until it cleans the sides of the mixing bowl. Knead for 6-8 minutes.

*For more detailed instructions about mixing this dough click here

Divide the dough into 4 equal parts. Take one part and roll into a large rectangle about 1/4-1/2 inch thick. Cut into strips. Place on a large cookie sheet prepared with nonstick spray. Brush with coconut oil and spices you desire. We like onion powder, garlic powder, and basil (1 teaspoon each to 1 cup coconut oil), salt is optional to taste. Let rise for about 10 minutes and Bake in a 500 degree oven for about 10 minutes. Makes about 4 dozen.

Whole Wheat Naan

Naan bread originally came from India...but it is found in many middle eastern countries and is quickly becoming popular here. Dan and I first tried this yummy flat bread at a local Indian food restaurant several months ago. We came home and decided to try to find a Naan bread recipe. We found several, but many contain yogurt. We finally found one that used almond or soy milk instead. We made that recipe and liked it a lot and it soon became a staple in our home. I have a bread recipe that I have used for 10 years or so and I make bread for my kids once each week, and I decided to try that recipe for making Naan and guess what?! It worked! I like the simplicity of it. Keep in mind, many of my recipes will be HUGE. I have 5 kids and when I make food, I'm not sure how to make a small amount, so if you want you can always request a recipe that will make only a few or you can half this recipe so it works for you.

As I mentioned this is my bread recipe. I will post my bread recipe right after this with pics but it is the same recipe I use for so many things...pizza crust, naan, bread, breadsticks and cinnamon rolls! I will be posting pics of all of these things today!

One more quick note about Naan bread. I like mine plain, but my kids love theirs flavored with spices. There are so many kinds of Naan bread....some infuse theirs with garlic or stuff them with meats, veggies or potatoes. This is a very simple recipe, so play around with it! We have used this recipe to stuff with hummus and veggies, taco's, spread with coconut oil and honey...the possibilities are endless. Hope you enjoy!

Whole Wheat Naan
5 cups warm water (I like my water on the warmer side, maybe shower hot)
1/4 cup honey or agave
1/4 cup oil
1 Tablespoon salt
6-7 cups whole wheat flour (*NOTE 12-14 cups flour will be used total, see below!)
2 heaping tablespoons saf-instant yeast (this is the BEST yeast! Make sure you add the yeast after the 6-7 cups flour, as your warm water might kill the yeast if added straight to the water)



When making this bread, it is VERY important to add the ingredients in this order! Mix it well for about 1 minute.

ADD: 6-7 more cups whole wheat flour ONE cup at a time until the dough cleans the sides of your mixing bowl. Knead 6-8 minutes.

This next part is my daughter, Hailey's job! She loves to roll it out and cook it, and it's so nice because it takes about an hour to roll and lightly cook all the dough.

Using a large griddle or frying pan, roll out your individual pieces of dough as seen below. I'm not going to give you a precise measurement for these because how big you make them is up to you!

Mix about 1 cup of softened coconut oil with about 1 teaspoon of basil, onion powder, garlic powder, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. (this part is optional!) If you choose not to put any spices on your Naan (remember, I like mine plain), then just spray this side with nonstick spray before flipping.

Spray your frying pan or griddle with nonstick spray and put your Naan pieces in the pan. They will begin to bubble a little. While they are cooking on one side, brush on your coconut oil or spray with nonstick spray if you want them plain.

After about a minute or two, flip your Naan. Watch them closely! Our pan doesn't cook these very fast, so we don't worry about them burning.

This is how they look when flipped. These make 24-36. It really depends on how big you make them. They keep well for about a week at room temp. We keep our in the fridge and they should be good for about a month. Ours are usually gone in a few days!

*Lately I have been making these with spelt. Spelt is an ancient grain and in reading the book The pH Miracle, Robert Young, the author talks about using grains that are less acidic and how that influences the pH balance in your body. Basically cancer and sickness can't thrive in a body that is more alkaline. Most all vegetables are alkaline. Very few grains and beans are alkaline. Soy is alkaline. I have tried to make a few changes to help with this. Spelt is actually a +.05 on this ALKALINE FOOD CHART. There are many food charts that will tell you which foods are alkaline and which are acidic. Some are conflicting. There is a chart in the pH Miracle book but I also like this chart by the Alkaline Sisters. This is a great blog with some fantastic recipes! I will write more about this in upcoming posts and will label this so it is easy for you to find for future reference.