Bread Class- FABULOUS!

Shauna Colvin’s Fabulous 50/50 Bread Recipe

(With science notes added along the way!)

2/3 c. oil (Shauna prefers canola oil. Vegetable oil is okay. DON’T use olive oil as it has a different flavor that many might not like.)

2/3 c. honey OR light brown sugar. (If you use the same cup to measure the honey as you did for the oil, it will be easier to pour out!)

2 TBS. salt (be sure to add flour BEFORE adding yeast so the flour can shield the yeast from the salt!)

5 ½ c. warm water (90°-100° is OPTIMAL for yeast growth. Yeast begins to die at 104°) Shauna doesn’t use a thermometer, she recommends just about the temperature you would use for making a baby bottle, maybe a touch hotter.

7 c. whole wheat flour. Mix in well!

2 TBS. instant yeast (Shauna uses Fleishman's or SAF purchased bulk)

Mix well in bread mixer. Can mix by hand, too!

ABOUT 7 c. unbleached white flour, about ½ cup at a time, allowing it to be completely mixed in well between additions. When the dough cleans the sides and bottom of the mixing bowl WELL and the dough FEELS like it is a good consistency (elastic, a little bit sticky still), enough flour has been added. If you don’t have a bread mixer, you will need to mix the 7 cups white flour in by hand, a little at a time because it will be too heavy for a hand mixer.

Knead for 7 minutes. Shauna puts the lid on her BOSCH™ and lets it knead on the 1 setting.

Turn out onto lightly floured surface for shaping. Shauna flours the surface of her hands and the surface of the dough to make it more manageable. She flattens it a little into an oval about 1 foot by 2 feet and 3-4 inches thick. She cuts it using a dough cutter into 5 visually equal portions. To shape the loaves, Shauna puts the smooth side of each portion face down, folds all the edges in a little, then rolls like a 3 inch thick burrito, placing the seam on the bottom and, again like a burrito, tucking the ends underneath. She places them in the loaf pan with the pretty side up. Then she tucks her little loaf babies in all around the edges using her fingers to help remove air bubbles and prevent cracking.

Preheat oven to 350° so it can heat while dough is rising. If using a convection oven (not Shauna’s favorite!) heat to 335° and use a bread setting if you have one.

Cover loaves with warm damp towels and allow to rise until about double, approximately 25 minutes, give or take with temperature of the room.

Bake! About 30 minutes in an electric oven, 35 minutes in gas oven, 25 minutes in convection oven.

COOL! Shauna removes her loaves from the pans and brushes them with butter for a soft crust. She places a dry towel over them while they cool. Make sure the loaves are completely cool before storing.

Store! Shauna uses Western Family™ food and bread bags with twist-ties, even for in the freezer. Freeze bread that isn’t going to be used within 3 or 4 days. Use frozen bread within a month or so.

Notes From 7-13-2010 Breads Class Taught By Shauna Colvin

(Taken by Valerie Anderson. Blame her for the screw-ups!☺!)

Some tips on purchasing, grinding, and storing wheat.

Wheat should be stored in a cool dry place, protected from moisture and bugs. Buckets with tight sealing lids are a good plan. Make sure your wheat is pre-cleaned. Sometimes it is less expensive to purchase wheat that hasn’t been, but it is likely not a very good deal because cleaning can be a lot of trouble. Shauna prefers hard red wheat. Shauna says that Walton Feed is well priced. http://waltonfeed.com/category/38). Others have purchased from Honeyville Grains in SLC (http://www.honeyvillegrain.com/) I phoned Macey’s to get pricing from them- They currently have 5 gallon buckets for $ 17.99 or 50 lb. bags for $17.99. This is a STEAL over what it was a year ago, and might be a lot cheaper than paying freight. I have purchased white wheat at Macey’s and been very happy with cleanliness.

Wheat grinders range in price from about $10 (hand-grinder) on up to $1000 (industrial). Shauna owns a Nutrimill™ and she LOVES it (http://www.pleasanthillgrain.com/index.aspx#Nutrimill).

I (Valerie) own a Wondermill™ (http://www.kitchenkneads.com/index.php?module=store_listings&action=view_listing&listing=14) and I have LOVED it. They both happen to be $240ish right now.

Shauna uses a BOSCH™ mixer, but has owned a K-Tech™ mixer in the past and really liked it as well.

Shauna uses metal bread pans that her mother gave her and LOVES them. If breaking in a new bread pan, Shauna recommends brushing it with shortening and baking it at 350° to season it, much the way you would season a Dutch-oven. Shauna DOES use regular dish soap and water when washing her bread pans.