Homemade bread. A great place to start.

Homemade bread. A great place to start.

One of the first things I did when learning how to feed my family healthy food was to learn to make my own bread. Whole wheat bread from the grocery store can cost a lot of money and doesn't have even close to the same health benefits of wheat bread you make at home. Here is my favorite bread recipe:

BEST whole wheat bread

I get requests for my whole wheat bread recipe pretty frequently. This is a recipe that I twisted and tweaked until I got it just right. Now, it is the only recipe that I would consider using. It is very versatile. You can use it for dinner rolls, breadsticks, pizza crust, etc.

Whole wheat bread

8 cups whole wheat flour (freshly ground if possible)
1 TB salt
3 TB wheat gluten
2 TB dough enhancer*
1 TB yeast
3 cups warm water
3 TB oil or butter (I use olive oil when I have it)
3 TB honey

You will probably have different people telling you THEIR favorite way to make bread. This is the way that I do it, but you can take these same ingredients and do it the way that works for you!
Mix all the dry ingredients together (this includes the yeast if it is instant- if using regular yeast, sprinkle it on your water and let it start to activate). Add oil (I do this first and then the honey because it helps the honey slip out of the measuring spoon easier) honey, and water. You can use a mixer or mix with a big wooden spoon. Add water or flour if needed to make the right consistency. Knead for 5-10 minutes until you get a soft pliable dough.
Let rise until double in bulk in an oiled bowl covered either with plastic wrap (make sure to spray it with non-stick spray so it won't stick) or a wet cheesecloth.
Punch down and form into loaves and put in loaf pans. Preheat oven to 350 Let rise until double again (about another 1/2 hour). Bake for 35-40 minutes.

This bread has a wonderful chewy texture. It is not crumbly at all like many homemade wheat breads can be.

*dough enhancer can be bought at most grocery stores in the baking isle. I usually find it either on the top or bottom shelf. You can also buy in in bulk through companies like http://augasonfarms.com/ or Alison's pantry.

Breakdown
It's a little difficult to break down this recipe into costs considering I buy the ingredients in giant bulk amounts. For example, I don't buy whole wheat flour. I buy wheat and grind it myself in a nutrimill grinder. The best guess I have on the cost of 2 loaves of this bread is around $0.70.

That's pretty great considering the cheapest whole wheat bread at the grocery store is around $2 PER LOAF and isn't really whole grain. It's mostly white bread with a little wheat and some chemicals. YUCK! My homemade bread is $1.65 cheaper per loaf and is delicious!