Just Checking In

TRex

Hello good friends. It has been a while since I've posted - I am so blessed to be enjoying my first teacher summer, so I've been spending time with family and vacationing.

Perusing the forum this afternoon I see so many wonderful looking cooks going on and great information continuing to be shared - it's such a great community and I do miss being more involved.

I did get to do quite a bit of Egging with some college buddies on our annual ManTrip over in east Texas - cooked 24 lbs of boston butt, about 5 flat iron steaks, several pounds of stuffed pork chops and sausage, and 3 racks of baby back ribs. It was a wonderful time with good friends and good food.

I've also still been trying to do some bread experimentation from time to time, and I wanted to share with everyone a recipe that I had really really great results with - a 100% whole wheat bread recipe (not no-knead) - that was really simple and produced a sandwich bread consistency (all my 100% whole wheat attempts to-date have resulted in a very dense, poorly risen bread).

So, here's the recipe, which the parent of one of my students gave me, with my comments in italics:

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Slightly Sweet Whole Wheat Bread

• 2 cups hot water (I would say the warm side of lukewarm, not hot)
• 1/2 cup light olive oil
• 1/2 cup honey
• 3-1/2 tsp. instant yeast (I used Fleishman’s Rapid Rise)
• 5 cups freshly milled hard red wheat flour (I used King Arthur whole wheat flour)
• 2 tsp. salt
• 1-2 TBS lecithin (you may have to find this at a Whole Foods or some other frou-frou organic food store – the mom that gave me this recipe got some for me)


Combine water, oil and honey. Add 3 cups of flour (1 cup at a time and mix until all wet), yeast, salt, and lecithin. Mix (use a big mixing bowl and a wooden spoon, or better yet, a powerful stand mixer with the dough hook attachment). Add the remaining flour (you can do this in the mixing bowl or as you knead – I had to do it as I kneaded because the dough became too hard to mix by hand – add a little bit at a time as you mix or knead) and knead until smooth and elastic (about 10 min) (you can do this on your counter just make sure you continue to lightly dust the counter with more flour so the dough doesn’t start sticking to the counter). Let rise until double in size (about 1 hr 15 minutes – put the dough ball on a piece of parchment paper, lightly dusted with flour, and the parchment paper on a baking pan, put plastic wrap over the dough ball, and place into your oven; turn your oven on “warm” for 20 seconds, then turn the oven off but leave the oven light on – this will create a warmer environment to accelerate the rising). Cut the dough ball in half and shape into two loaves. Place loaves into greased loaf pans (I used ceramic loaf pans sprayed with Pam). Let rise again (about 20 – 25 minutes). Bake at 350 degrees (preheat your oven!) for about 30 min (it takes about 40 minutes to get to 195 internal if using the ceramic loaf pans – I would say you’re safe at 35 minutes). If you make 4 little loafs, bake only 20 minutes.

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And here is a pic of my first results - makes two loaves:



I highly recommend trying this.

Anyway, just wanted to share this and say hello to everyone - I trust that everyone is having a good summer with their Eggs and friends and family.

Take care,

Jason

FlaPoolman

Great to see you back posting. Havent had the nerve to try bread but thought process is if I can cook the meat somebody with your talents will make the bread. GREAT TO SEE YA BACK and thanks for all the tips you posted here and on your site as I've used your recipes and guides a lot more than you realize.

BENTE

sure do miss you around here but thanks for the whole wheat recepie... i will try it soon

Beanie-Bean

Hey JF,

Nice to hear from you again...glad that things are going well. Enjoy your summer!

cookn biker

You've been missed!
Molly

Eggtucky

Thanks for the recipe Trex and good to see you posting...dont be such a stranger!...enjoy your summer and get back to egging...you're name is an icon in this community..don't let it fade!

vidalia1

Since you turned me on to No Knead bread, I will definitely try this recipe...thanks and don't be a stranger...

KC

Good to see you post again. I always enjoyed your posts and the recipes and research you share.

Fidel

Good to hear from you man, and to hear you are having a great summer break.

Don't be such a stranger!

dhuffjr

Sounds like your enjoying it. I contemplate the path you've taken from time to time. I'm too far along with family and career to make the switch though.

Big'un

Glad to see you posting again. I was going to send you an E this week, just to check on you. I'm hoping you'll come on down to Jackson and have a cold one with me.