I love my Zojirushi breadmaker--it was worth every extra penny I paid for it several years ago. Hubby bought a BreadMan one for Christmas some years back, and it lasted six weeks, I think. Since I'm making 2-3 100% whole grain loaves every week, they get a real workout, and the Breadman was not up to it. At all.
The Zo has been going strong for a while, and it occurred to me that I should share something I've learned. I like warm bread in the morning, so I started using the timer. I put the ingredients together around dinnertime and then let it knead and rise in the middle of the night. Come 6 am, the smell of baking bread wafting from the kitchen wakes me--it's plain lovely. I am not a low-carb dieter (which is akin to heresy, if you ask me).
Anyway, I discovered that allowing those whole grains to soak overnight really softens them and helps with rising. I don't even have to add gluten to help lighten the loaf. If I make a loaf midday, though, with just a brief preheating, I get a short and dense loaf. But with the oats soaking overnight, the loaves are lofty and light. Here's my favorite recipe (added in this order):
1 1/2 cups water
1 c oats (or oat/wheat bran)
3 c whole wheat flour (white or red)
1 tsp salt
3 Tbsp sugar (or honey)
1 1/2 Tbsp butter
1 1/2 tsp yeast
Simple, delicious, and perfect when it sits for the right amount of time.
No comments:
Post a Comment