the Mom-Stuff Community

Mom-Stuff Blog Tour of the week is Looks Good in Polka Dots. Jamie calls herself Polka Dot Mommy, Mom, Wife, Daughter, Sister, PTC President (or vise president or treasure.) She is on a mission to improve the health of her family, save the planet and find the perfect pair of jeans. Her weakness are Coach Handbags and Complicated Coffee. Her daily Struggles are balancing her ideals with REALITY. Does that sound familuar?

As you will see in these posts I am sharing with you this week, Jamie is very creative and very talented. Jamie shares her talents in lots of places on the web. The strength you do not get to see from these posts is Jamie’s joy in service. She goes the extra mile to help the moms that connect with her.  Make sure you connect with her.  She has so much talent to share.

You can connect with Jamie on both of her blogs Feeding 10 for Under 10.00.  It’s a newer blog focusing on whole foods on a budget,

Looks Good in Polka Dots and you can follow her on Twitter.

Today I want to share one of Jamie  guest post at Eat Drink Better  http://eatdrinkbetter.com/search/?q=Jamie+Ervin I can’t wait to try this recipe.

I shouldn’t have been surprised to discover that the bread I’ve been making for my family costs between $1.00 and $1.50 per loaf.  Comparable bread at the grocer/bakery will run $4.00 or more a loaf.  The variation in price depends on add-ins which provide flavor and texture.  This recipe is simple, quick and tasty.  We bake it twice a week.  This is a great project to have the kids help you with, they LOVE to knead and roll the dough.  The dough making only takes 10 minutes or so (the rest is rising/baking time).  This is a modified version of a recipe found at Sweet Simple Living.

Simple Whole Wheat Bread (Makes 2 large loaves)

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In a large bowl combine (I use the bowl from my stand mixer)

• 1 Tbs Honey or Agave
• 3 Tbs Active Dry Yeast
• 1 1/3 cup warm water (about 105-115 degrees Fahrenheit)

Allow yeast to activate and bubble for about five minutes.

Turn mixer on low and begin adding:

• Another 1 1/3 cup warm water
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup molasses
• 1/2 cup honey or agave
• 2 tsp Kosher salt

Now it’s time for your add ins… whatever you add here will reduce your overall amount of wheat flour added at the end.  If you want a simple WW Bread with no seeds, skip this part and add closer to the 7 cups of WW flour at the end.  We add:

• 1/2 cup sunflower kernals
• 1/2 cup slightly crushed flax seeds (I mix golden and black)
• 1/4 cup poppyseeds
• 1/4 quinoa

While continuing to mix on low speed, begin adding:

• Whole Wheat flour, 1 cup at a time.

It may take up to 7 cups… I usually end up adding 5 1/2-6 with the add in seeds.  If your mixer won’t hold the full amount, you may have to remove and finish the mixing process by hand.

You know you have added enough flour when the dough becomes less sticky and more like, well dough.   Now, turn it out on a lightly floured surface and knead for 8-10 minutes.  It should be quite elastic and smooth.  Place your ball of dough into an oiled bowl and allow to rise for an hour or until double in size.  (See my tip below for proofing your dough.)

After the dough has risen, punch down and remove from the pan to a lightly floured surface.  Now, use a knife to divide your dough into two halves.  Roll each half out into a rectangle about 9 inches wide by 14 inches long.  You will now roll the rectangles of dough jelly-roll style, pinch the ends closed and place in a prepared bread pan.  I like to brush a small amount of egg white and water mixture on the top prior to rolling to help the bread stick together nicely and not leave gaps while baking.

Now allow your bread to rise again for about 30 minutes, then bake at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 30 minutes.  Cool in the pan for 10 minutes or so prior to turning out onto a cooling rake.  The bread slices best when fully cooled, but I can never resist a slice or two right out of the oven!

My proofing trick is to place a small pan of water onto the rear burner and boil.  Once its at a rolling boil, turn the burner off.  Place the dough next to the pan of water.  Once the burner is no longer red, lay a towel over the water pan and dough.  The combination of heat and steam provide an ideal situation for rising.

Eat Well.  Be Well.

Thanks for visiting the Mom-Stuff Blog Tour sponsored by www.mom-stuff.com. We are so excited by your response to our tour. We are having so much fun and making so many new friends.

See you tomorrow, Dianne

P.S. Visit Mom-Stuff.com for kids crafts, food and decorations for your St. Patrick’s Day celebration. We have just added a cute treat bag for St. Patrick’s Day gifts. Check it out.

Tags: Blogging Bloggers Mom-Blogs, bread-recipe, cooking, family, feeding10forunder10.00, mom-stuff.com, Polkadotmommy

This entry was posted on Wednesday, March 10th, 2010 at 2:20 pm and is filed under Blog Tour, Recipes, Resource. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.