Well, I just love the smell of fresh bread baking in the oven and then to spread some _homemade jam or butter over it is even better! I remember when my mom baked bread on Saturdays. She would start off in the morning and it would not be done until very late at night. She had so many different tasks throughout the day that she just did a little at a time until it was ready to be placed in the oven. Now, she did quite a bit of bread because we were a big family and we LOVED bread! Sometimes it will be 1 a.m. in the morning before all the bread was done and it was at that time that we place the kettle on for tea and ate hot bread with butter and jam. IT WAS DEVINE!!! My dad always asked for the "heel" of the bread which is the end of the bread as this was his favorite cut! So, from time to time I would bake fresh homemade bread for my family. Now that it is getting chilly outside, hot bread is even more appealing. Hope you like my recipe for Coconut bread and White Whole Wheat Cinnamon Raisin Bran Bread.
Refrigerate 6 tbsp coconut oil (needs to be hard)
5 -7 cups unbleached flour
1-1 1/2 cups coconut (unsweetened)
1 cup sugar (I like my bread on the sweet side but you can decrease the amount of sugar if you prefer it to be less sweet)
1 tsp salt
2 packages active dry yeast
2 cups warm water
Mix yeast, salt, 2 cups flour, coconut oil, sugar and coconut in bowl. Add warm water (2 cups) and stir. Add flour 1 cup at a time until it forms a nice dough. Knead, rest for about 35 mins and then start forming into loaves and/or rolls. This recipe makes about 1 dozen rolls and 2 loaves combined.
Place loaves/rolls into greased pans (I just coconut oil to grease my pan). Let rise a 2nd time until doubled in size. While the bread is resting for the 2nd time, preheat oven to 300 degrees and then bake the bread from 35 to 40 mins or until nice and golden on both top and bottom.Take out of oven and place on baking rack to cool. Or, cut and eat while hot like I do it. But, be warned...burning can occur either on the hands or in my case...the roof of my mouth! :) I love it anyway!
This bread is slightly sweet, soft and delicious!! Enjoy!!
White Whole Wheat Cinnamon Raisin Bran Bread Recipe:
6-8 cups white whole wheat flour (NOT whole wheat)
2 packages yeast
1 cup sugar plus 2 tsp extra for yeast
1/2 cup organic nonfat dry milk
2 tsp cinnamon
3/4 cup raisins (or more if you like)
3 tbsp rum/brandy
1 tsp salt
6 tbsp organic spectrum shortening
3 cups water
1/4 cup bran
First, place raisins in bowl and cover with 3 tbsp rum. Let sit to absorb all the wonderful rum flavor.
Next, dissolve 2 tsp sugar in yeast with 1/4 cup water. Place 3 cups flour in large bowl with sugar, salt , shortening, cinnamon, bran and raisins (drained but rum liquid reserved). Add dry milk and mix. Whisk in 3 cups water and reserved rum liquid until fully combined. Add flour a cup at a time until it forms a nice dough. Knead and let rest for about 35 mins. Begin to form dough into loaves/rolls. Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
At this point if you want a filling for the loaves, combine 1/4 cup brown sugar with 2 tsp cinnamon and 3 tbsp soft butter and spread on dough before rolling into a loaf. Make sure seal your edges! Let rest for a 2nd time until doubled in size and bake for about 35 to 40 mins or until brown on top and bottom of bread. Take out of oven and place on baking rack to cool. Or, cut and eat while hot like I do it. But, be warned...burning can occur either on the hands or in my case...the roof of my mouth! :) I love it anyway!
It's incredible how soft this bread is as I am using white wheat instead of whole wheat flour. It has a much milder taste and texture while keeping all the qualities of whole wheat such as the bran, germ and endosperm. I hope you like it. Enjoy!!