My Attempt at Homemade Bread with Fresh Ground Flour!

Several months ago, I purchased a Blentec Blender with the purpose of grinding my own wheat to make homemade bread. It took me long enough, but finally yesterday, I purchased a 45 pound pail of Augason Farms Hard White Wheat from Maceys for $19.99, and today made my first batch of flour.

It was SO easy!

Just put a couple 1-cup scoops of into the blender, punch the speed button up to 9, and let it run the 50 second cycle. When it’s done, you have fresh ground whole wheat flour!

Those who know me, know I like things to be easy and quick. So I found this simple recipe from the Snarky Vegan, and after a call to the neighbor to borrow some wheat gluten in exchange for a loaf (thanks, Jenny!), I got to work.

I wasn’t really planning on blogging about it, so I didn’t take photos along the way. But it turned out good, so I thought I’d share it. The results were a dense, slightly gritty wheat bread with a scrumptious taste. Next time I make it, I think I’ll try doing a 1/2 whole wheat and 1/2 all purpose flour mixture to see if I can lighten it up and get a fluffier texture. I also wonder if grinding the wheat a little more might help obtain a smoother texture.

Recipe  for WildSide Whole Wheat Bread Recipe – Blendtec Recipes

Ingredients:

• 1¼ cup warm water
• 1 Tbsp dry active yeast
• 2 Tbsp honey *You could use another liquid sweetener if you are vegan or avoiding honey.
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice (I only had oranges on hand)
• 1½ Tbsp oil
• 3 Tbsp vital wheat gluten
• 3 cups whole wheat flour, divided

Directions:

1. Add water, yeast and honey to the WildSide jar. Make sure the lid is on tight and press ‘Pulse’ two times.
2. Allow the yeast to proof for 5 to 10 minutes.
3. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
4. Add salt, lemon juice, oil, and wheat gluten to the jar. Secure lid and press ‘Pulse’ two times.
5. Add about 1/3 of the flour to the jar and press ‘Pulse’ one time, add another 1/3 of flour and press ‘Pulse’ 3 to 5 times, and then add the last 1/3 of flour and press ‘Pulse’ 8 to 10 times until all flour is mixed in and a dough ball forms.
6. Allow the dough to rest in the jar 10 to 15 minutes.
7. Scoop out the dough ball onto an oiled surface and shape a loaf. Place the shaped loaf into a 9×5 greased loaf pan. Cover the loaf pan and allow the dough to rise for 20 minutes or until the dough has topped the pan by approximately 1 inch. *NOTE: Mine never topped the pan. Maybe it wasn’t warm enough, even though I set it on the stove top of my preheated oven.
8. Bake for approximately 22 to 25 minutes or until done. Remove the bread from the pan and allow it to cool on a wire rack before slicing.

Enjoy!