Like an Elf

*This is part one of the follow up to my teaser post last night Hopefully it posted itself!*

Ever since I had to buy real maple syrup for my mom’s birthday cupcakes, I’ve been looking for excuses to use the leftovers. Of course the obvious would have been pancakes or waffles or French toast, but being the weirdo that I am, I had to go with something a bit different. Not quite as different as this character though…

Growing up, I was always taught to appreciate the glory that is homemade bread. My mom would “throw together” delicious seedy whole wheat loaves on a  weekend, and top them with honey and butter for my sister and I. Apparently, when I went to kindergarten, I was amazed by the bread my classmates had that was “White on the inside and only beige on the verrrrry outside.” I had never seen the stuff before!

For years, I was intimidated by making homemade bread with my general lack of space in my lovely Chicago apartments, and then branched out into making challah as a stress-reliever while my grandma was sick. Challah was safe, as it was ok for it to be “too sweet” and there’s no such thing as challah that’s “too doughy.” In recent days, I’ve expanded my repertoire into pizza dough and whole wheat rolls, and yesterday, I reached a new milestone. I made up a bread recipe and it WORKED. Just keep in mind, normally I just throw stuff together, but I measured ingredients JUST FOR YOU!

Maple Whole Wheat Bread

Makes 1 large loaf

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 c. whole wheat flour (Bob’s Red Mill is my favorite)
• 1/2 c. white bread flour
• 1 packet dry yeast (or 1 Tbsp.)
• 1 1/4 c. warm water  (not over 100* F)
• 5 Tbsp. good maple syrup
• 1/2 Tbsp. salt
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil

Directions

Add the warm water to a large mixing bowl (or the bowl of a mixer fitted with a dough hook) and sprinkle the yeast on top. Allow it to “bloom” and get foamy for about 10 minutes. Add the maple syrup and oil. Stir gently to combine. Add the bread flour. It will make a very sticky mess at this point. Begin adding the wheat flour until the dough comes together in a ball. Knead about 10 minutes on a floured surface (or with the dough hook, but I’ve found hand-kneading works MUCH better) then place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl. Allow to rise in a warm place until it has doubled in size. Deflate the dough and form into a round loaf, or place in a lightly oiled loaf pan. Allow to rise again about 30 minutes. Bake in a 400* F oven until lightly browned, and knocking on it sounds hollow. For me it was about 30 minutes.  Slice and enjoy.

To say I’m happy with how it came out is an understatement. The texture is reminiscent of my favorite whole wheat bread from Great Harvest, but the flavor was slightly sweet and a little “pancake”-ish. A quote from Adam, the resident bread expert, “Hon, that was some BITCHIN‘ bread!” Next time, I’m going to double it and freeze some to slice thinly for sandwiches. Maybe I’ll even invest in a loaf pan.

Aren’t you proud, mom?

Part 2 (with two more recipes) *should* post itself tonight, provided Ecto behaves itself…

Tagged as: Baking, bread, maple syrup