Whole Wheat-Wheat Germ Bread

This week has been a outright horror. A friend lost her baby at 20 weeks, a friend of the family's daughter-in-law was struck and killed by an SUV while out running and, last night, my aunt passed away in her sleep.

I'm one of those people that, when faced with events like this, keeps moving and keeps busy to keep from dwelling.

So today I've been cooking and baking up a storm. This is one of my favorite breads from The Secrets of Jesuit Breadmaking. Unbelievably healthy AND tasty. One thing I've discovered in baking these recipes is that I tend to use more flour than is called for. I think here I used about 4 1/2 cups.


Whole Wheat-Wheat Germ Bread

1 tbsp active dry yeast
2 cups warm water
2 tsp salt
2 tbsp oil
1/4 cup honey
1 cup toasted wheat germ
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
4 - 4 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

Combine the yeast and water in a large bowl, stirring until yeast is dissolved. Set aside for 5 minutes.

Stir in the salt, oil and honey. Beat vigorously for 10 minutes, gradually adding the wheat cherm, whole wheat flour. Slowly add in the all-purpose flour, 1 cup at a time, until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl.

Turn out on a lightly floured surface. Knead for 8 to 10 minutes, until dough is smooth and elastic, adding flour as necessary to prevent stickiness.

Lightly oil a large bowl. Place dough in bowl and turn to coat on all sides. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm, draft-free place until doubled in bulk - a good 1 1/2 hours.

Grease two 9 x 5-inch loaf pans.

Punch down dough. Divide in half, shape into loaves, and place in the pans. Cover with a tea towel and let rise until doubled in bulk - about 45 minutes.

Place in a cold oven and bake at 375 degrees for 35 minutes. Transfer from pans to a wire rack to cool.