Efficient Weekly Whole Wheat Bread Baking

Baking 6 loaves a week is a task that needs to be simplified. After trying many recipes and adapting what I have found, this is the best way that I see to use my resources and ingredients to produce the healthiest bread for my family.

Tuesday is my baking day. Mainly, because I want it to happen the day before I clean the floors. If anyone figures out how to mill flour and bake bread without a little dusting on the floor, the information would be priceless. I try to have all my flour milled on Monday evening. It works great when the mill runs while I prepare and clean-up from dinner. I mill 2200 grams of hard red (or white) wheat berries and 500 grams of soft wheat berries. This will make 18 cups of whole grain flour.

On Tuesday, I aim to have my bread rising by 7 am so that is ready for lunch, but consider your day and pick the time that works best for you. Know that from start to finish about 5 hours should be allocated. It is best to plan to be home for the entire stretch, since the bread will need to be punched down twice and shaped before the final proof.

I use a Bosch Universal Mixer to mix and knead my dough. Improvise with what you have.

Place about 14 cups of flour in mixer bowl.

Add 2 T salt and mix.

Add wet ingredients and mix:

2 c whole milk

5 c very hot water

1/3 c safflower oil or soft butter or coconut oil

½ c honey

Proof yeast and add to mix:

1 ¼ c water

2 T yeast

Add remaining 4 cups of flour and mix. Knead about 10 minutes in mixer. Move dough to a large bowl for rising and cover it with a large clean dish towel. (A crib sheet works nicely too).

1^st rise: One and a half hours

2^nd rise: 45 minutes

Rest and shape (6) loaves: 15 minutes

Proof loaves in warm spot: 45 minutes

Bake at 350 for 40 minutes to an hour in greased bread pans until interior bread temperature is about 180 degrees.

Once I have the dough in the large bowl to rise, I write down the bread's schedule and start a timer. Today, my schedule looked like this:

7-8:30 First Rise (punch it down)

8:30-9:15 Second Rise (punch it down)

9:15-9:30 Rest and shape loaves

9:30-10:15 Proof Loaves

10:00 Preheat Oven

10:15-11:00ish Bake Bread

I always use a thermometer to determine if my bread is done. I have an instant read chef's thermometer ($2-$4 at any grocery store) that I insert into the loaf. It is done when the internal temperature is 180 degrees and the top is lightly browned.

Once the bread is done, let it sit in the pans for no more than about 10 minutes. Remove the bread from the pans and cool on racks. Cover cooling loaves with a clean towel to keep them from drying out and to keep them clean. Place cool loaves in bread bags. Loaves can be individually frozen.