The Whole Earth Cracked Wheat Bread Recipes

Steps:

• Pour 2 cups boiling water over the cracked wheat. Add the honey reserving 1 teaspoon for later, salt and oil.
• Cool.
• Dissolve the yeast in 2/3 cup warm water and add the 1 teaspoon honey.
• Combine with the cooled cracked wheat mixture. Add the flour and mix thoroughly.
• Place in a buttered bowl and cover, let rise for 1 hour.
• Punch down and let rise for another 30 minutes.
• Punch down and turn out on a floured board.
• Knead well.
• Shape into 2 loaves and place in loaf pans.
• Bake at 350 until golden brown.
• Check after 30-40 minutes.
• Check for doneness by tapping on bottom of loaf, if it sounds hollow, it's done. If not, bake for an additional 5-10 minutes.

Steps:

• In a small saucepan, bring water to a boil. Stir in cracked wheat and simmer for 10 minutes; let cool to lukewarm. In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.
• Pour the cracked wheat mixture into a large bowl. Stir in the butter, salt, molasses, honey, milk, yeast mixture, whole wheat flour and 2 cups of the bread flour; stir well to combine. Stir in the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, beating well after each addition.
• When the dough has pulled together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes. Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.
• Deflate the dough and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide the dough into two equal pieces and form into loaves. Place the loaves into two lightly greased 9x5 inch loaf pans. Cover the loaves with a damp cloth and let rise until doubled in volume, about 40 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Bake in a preheated 375 degree oven 30 to 35 minutes, or until the loaves sound hollow when tapped on top and bottom. Cool on racks.

Steps:

• Whisk together the flour, yeast, salt and vital wheat gluten in a 5-quart bowl, or a lidded (not airtight) food container.
• Add the water and mix without kneading, using a spoon. (You might need to use wet hands to get the last bit of flour to incorporate.).
• Cover, not airtight, and allow the dough to rest at room temperature until is rises and collapses (or flattens on top), approximately 2 hours.
• The dough can be used immediately after the initial rise, though it is easier to handle when cold. Refrigerate it in a lidded (not airtight) container and use over the next 10 days.
• On baking day, dust the surface of the refrigerated dough with flour and cut off a 1-pound (grapefruit-sized; 450 grams) piece. Dust the piece with flour and quickly shape it into a ball by stretching the surface of the dough around to the bottom on all four sides, rotating the ball a quarter-turn as you go.
• Allow the loaf to rest, loosely covered with plastic wrap, on a pizza peel prepared with cornmeal or lined with parchment paper for 90 minutes (40 minutes if using fresh, unrefrigerated dough). Alternatively, you can rest the loaf on a silicone mat or greased cookie sheet if you don't have a pizza peel.
• Thirty minutes before baking time, preheat oven to 450F (230C). Place a baking stone on the middle rack. Place an empty metal broiler tray on another rack.
• Just before baking, use a pastry brush to paint the top with water. Sprinkle with your favorite seed mixture. Slash the loaf with 1/4-inch deep parallel cuts using a serrated bread knife.
• Slide the loaf directly onto the hot stone. (Or place the silicone mat or cookie sheet on the stone.) Pour one cup hot tap water into the broiler tray and quickly close the oven door.
• Bake for 30-35 minutes, until richly browned and firm. If you used a mat or cookie sheet, remove it and bake the loaf directly on the stone for the last third of the baking time.
• Allow the bread to cool on a rack before slicing and eating.
• Variation: Honey whole wheat sandwich bread.
• Add 1/2 cup honey and decrease the water by 1/2 cup. Bake a 2-pound (900 g) piece of dough in a loaf pan at 350F (180C) for 50-60 minutes.

Steps:

• In a large bowl, mix warm water, yeast, and 1/3 cup honey. Add 5 cups white bread flour, and stir to combine. Let set for 30 minutes, or until big and bubbly.
• Mix in 3 tablespoons melted butter, 1/3 cup honey, and salt. Stir in 2 cups whole wheat flour. Flour a flat surface and knead with whole wheat flour until not real sticky - just pulling away from the counter, but still sticky to touch. This may take an additional 2 to 4 cups of whole wheat flour. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to coat the surface of the dough. Cover with a dishtowel. Let rise in a warm place until doubled.
• Punch down, and divide into 3 loaves. Place in greased 9 x 5 inch loaf pans, and allow to rise until dough has topped the pans by one inch.
• Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 25 to 30 minutes; do not overbake. Lightly brush the tops of loaves with 2 tablespoons melted butter or margarine when done to prevent crust from getting hard. Cool completely.

Steps:

• Place ingredients in the pan of the bread machine in the order recommended by the manufacturer. Select regular/light cycle; press Start.

Steps:

• In the bowl of your electric mixer (I use a KitchenAid ) dissolve yeast in warm water. Add milk, honey, oil, salt and eggs. Mix until blended.
• Add 2 1/2 cups of the flour and beat for 3 to 4 minutes. Cover bowl with plastic wrap or a warm towel and allow sponge to rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, about 30 minutes.
• Mix in remaining flour reserving 1/2 C for kneading. At this point you may add the softened cracked wheat if desired. This may seem a little stickier than you may be used to but as long as your fingers don't stick in the dough you have the right amount of flour.
• Turn out onto floured board or counter top or use the dough hook from your mixer. Knead for 8 to 10 minutes until elastic and smooth.
• Put in a large buttered bowl and let rise in warm place until doubled in bulk.
• Punch dough down. On lightly floured board or counter top divide into 3 equal portions. Shape into loaves and place in buttered loaf pans approximately 8" X 4".
• Cover and let rise for the third time until doubled in bulk.
• Bake at 375 degrees for 30 - 35 minutes. The bread tests done when the crust make a hollow sound when tapped.
• Remove from pans and brush with melted butter. Cover with a hot damp towel to soften crust if desired.