The science and joy of anything goes bread

The science and joy of anything goes bread

            I was inspired by Barbara, of http://barbswritingsandrecipes.blogspot.com to share my special recipe for anything goes bread.  I am a person who doesn’t like to waste anything.  I also like to make and eat healthy bread made with whole grains, lots of fiber and other good stuff.  Several years ago my wife bought me a bread maker and I experimented with a variety of the recipes that came with the maker.  Most were traditional breads that relied heavily on white flours.  When I tried to make breads without the white flour I often got a charred lump of barely risen flour.  Through experimentation and studying the science of bread making I came upon the formula that allowed me to put almost anything in my bread.

            There is a science to making yeast breads.  Yeast is a living single cell organism.  It needs moisture, a warm temperature and any of a variety of sugars to grow and multiply.  In its growing it metabolizes the sugar and releases carbon dioxide and water as do other living creatures.  For the bread to rise, the dough must be able to trap this carbon dioxide.  This is done with a protein component of the flour called gluten, which can be bought in a grocery or health food store as vital wheat gluten.  The main difference between pastry and bread flours is the amount of gluten in the flour.  Pastry has very little gluten so it makes a flaky crust good for pies and such.  Bread flour has a healthy amount of it allowing for fluffy bread.  There are some individuals who are allergic or sensitive to gluten.  People with Celiac disease also known as non-tropical spue, because it causes a severe diarrhea that leads to mal-absorption of vital nutrients and severe illness, must avoid gluten.  So my recipe doesn’t apply to them.

            With this knowledge, we can make a nice fluffy loaf of bread as long as we provide the yeast with the right amount of a sugar, a grain base and liquid.  The sugar must have some nutritional value, i.e. not some artificial sweetener.  I like molasses and honey but I’ve used sweeteners including agave (a nectar derived from a cactus), malt syrup, and a variety of jams or preserves.  The liquid can be anything from tomato sauce to milk.  The key ingredient is adding one-third cup of vital wheat gluten to the mix to catch the carbon dioxide bubbles.

            Two other ingredients that finish off the bread are a teaspoon of salt (which seems to be necessary for anything tasty) and two tablespoons of oil, which keeps the bread tasting moist.  The amount of added salt should be reduced if one of the liquid components has it already in it.  The oil can be any of a variety of healthy choices such as flax seed, canola or olive oils.

            So here is the formula added in the sequence that works best for use in a bread maker:

            2 tablespoons oil- use to coat the bottom and sides of the bread pan.

            8 ounces of liquid-the actual measure may be more since you estimate the actual water content of the liquid by subtracting out the solids in the liquid such as tomato sauce or milk.  You may need a slightly larger amount of liquid in the dry winter months.  The dough should ball up and be sticky.

            1-teaspoon salt- adjusted down if salt is in the liquid already.

            2-tablespoons of sweetener – use the oiled spoon to measure the thick liquids such as malt and molasses as it will slide off more easily.

            Add 2 and 2/3 cup of flours to the liquid mix.  I like whole wheat or whole grain spelt to which I add in 1/3-cup amounts rolled oats, oat brain, rice flour, barley flour, or rye flour.  It works best when the non-flour elements such as oats are kept to less than one cup total.

            Next add 1/3-cup vital wheat gluten

            Finally add 2 heaping teaspoons of yeast.  By putting this in last you keep the yeast out of its growing environment until mixed, allowing for a delayed start to the bread maker.  Nothing beats waking up to fresh baked bread.  One final word of advice, most bread making machines have two general settings.  One for a quick bread that allows for two timed rises and regular setting that gives 3 rises.  Paradoxically, the 3-rise setting didn’t seem to work as well leaving the bread flatter.  I suspect this is due to the yeast running out of a sugar source.

            You can add any variety of other left over ingredients from pumpkin, rye or sesame seeds, and spices such as basil or cardamom.  Garlic powder, raisins, dried fruit even chocolate chips can be added in reasonable quantities and the bread should still rise.

            Experiment and enjoy this anything goes bread.