Bread Machine (37 page)
The type of machine you own will dictate, to some extent, the whole wheat and other whole grain breads you can make. For doughs that call for half whole wheat and half white flour, white whole wheat, or some whole wheat pastry flour, you can use the Basic cycle. All machines are capable of handling the dough density produced by these proportions. For breads with a higher percentage of whole wheat flour or all whole wheat flour, you must use a machine that specifically has a Whole Wheat cycle, which indicates that the machine has a motor powerful enough to handle the heavy doughs. Even on these machines, if you hear the motor straining or pausing because the dough has stalled the paddle during the kneading, open the lid and use your plastic spatula to move the dough so that the machine can do its job. I also dribble some water onto the dough ball to soften it so that it can be kneaded more easily.
The more whole wheat flour you add to a recipe, the denser the baked loaf will be, and bread machine whole wheat breads often fill only two-thirds the capacity of the bread pan when they are finished baking. To compensate for this, some recipes call for more flour than usual, so don’t worry if the proportions in this chapter look different than in the other recipes in the book.
If you are using the Basic cycle and find your whole wheat dough is still a bit too dense, you can use the “extra knead” technique, developed by the Innovative Cooking Enterprises group. This technique gives whole wheat breads, as well as breads containing specialty flours and multigrain breads, a stronger structure during their rising time and a lighter texture when they are baked. Simply let your machine go through the Knead 1 and 2 segments of the cycle, then press Stop and restart the cycle from the beginning, this time allowing it to continue until the loaf is finished.
Breads containing whole wheat flour will have a stiffer dough ball than you are used to in all—white flour breads. When you check the dough ball, press it with your finger. It should be firm yet springy, with plenty of moisture and rather tacky under the surface. The moisture will be slowly soaked up by the grains during the rises. Depending on the type of flour you have used, you will feel a smooth to sandy texture when you run your fingers over the dough ball.
Adjust a dry dough ball—one that looks shaggy and leaves a lot of flour around the edge of the pan—by dribbling water in
on top
of the dough ball in
1
/
2
teaspoon increments while the machine is running, rather like working with clay, or else the water will splash up and out of the pan (I know this from experience). This will slowly moisten the dough ball as it is kneaded.
If the dough ball is too wet, add flour in 1
1
/
2
-teaspoon increments or sprinkle it in from your fingers,
around the sides of the dough ball under the paddle
, while the machine is running. Be careful to avoid the rotating blade. The dough ball will automatically pick up most of the flour. If the dough looks very moist around the paddle, it is okay; this moisture will be absorbed during the remaining kneading time.
When you make your own whole grain breads, you get exactly what you put into the machine—plenty of whole grain goodness, flavor, and nutrition with minimal sweetness from sugar. The tastes of these grains and flours are natural and earthy, and the aroma during baking is like no other type of bread. You can just inhale the healthful, nutty sweetness.
A
ll bakers want a good all-purpose whole wheat bread in their repertoire. Here it is. The buttermilk, called for in its powdered form, softens the grain, and there is an egg for richness and extra rising power. You can opt to use fresh buttermilk in place of the water, thereby eliminating the need for any dried buttermilk. This bread is excellent toasted.
1
1
/
2
-POUND LOAF
1 cup water
1 large egg
2 tablespoons vegetable or nut oil
2
1
/
2
cups bread flour
1
/
2
cup whole wheat flour
3 tablespoons dry buttermilk powder
2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon gluten
1
1
/
2
teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons SAF yeast or 2
1
/
2
teaspoons bread machine yeast
2-POUND LOAF
1
1
/
3
cups water
1 large egg
2
1
/
2
tablespoons vegetable or nut oil
3
1
/
4
cups bread flour
3
/
4
cup whole wheat flour
4 tablespoons dry buttermilk powder
2
1
/
2
tablespoons dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon gluten
2 teaspoons salt
2
1
/
2
teaspoons SAF yeast or 1 tablespoon bread machine yeast
Place all the ingredients in the pan according to the order in the manufacturer’s instructions. Set crust on medium or dark and program for the Basic cycle; press Start. The dough ball will be moist. (This recipe is not suitable for use with the Delay Timer.)
When the baking cycle ends, immediately remove the bread from the pan and place it on a rack. Let cool to room temperature before slicing.
T
his bread contains a bit more whole wheat flour than Light Whole Wheat Bread. There is a lot of honey for sweetness and the combination of milk and water for tenderness. This one is a slow riser, so don’t despair. This bread is best eaten the day it is baked.
1
1
/
2
-POUND LOAF
1
/
3
cup water
1
/
2
cup milk
1
/
4
cup honey
1 large egg
1 tablespoon butter, cut into pieces
2 cups bread flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon gluten
2 teaspoons salt
2
1
/
4
teaspoons SAF yeast or 2
3
/
4
teaspoons bread machine yeast
2-POUND LOAF
1
/
2
cup water
2
/
3
cup milk
1
/
3
cup honey
1 large egg
1
1
/
2
tablespoons butter, cut into pieces
2
2
/
3
cups bread flour
1
1
/
3
cups whole wheat flour
1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons gluten
2
1
/
2
teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon SAF yeast or 1 tablespoon plus
1
/
2
teaspoon bread machine yeast
Place all the ingredients in the pan according to the order in the manufacturer’s instructions. Set crust on medium and program for the Basic cycle; press Start. (This recipe is not suitable for use with the Delay Timer.)
When the baking cycle ends, immediately remove the bread from the pan and place it on a rack. Let cool to room temperature before slicing.