100% Whole Wheat Bread

Do you make your own bread? Do you want to? Well, as I think I have shared before we grind our own grain, and I like to make our own bread. However when I make my own bread I like to use all whole wheat, that I have ground. MOST of the recipes I have found are not what we want....they include a different kind of flour, or they are way to thick and crumbly. It has been driving me crazy!

But now....I have found a recipe that we really like and is really simple! Want to see it?

100% Whole Wheat Bread

ingredients

1 3/4 C warm water (110 degrees F)
1/4 C honey
2 tsp. instant yeast
6 C Stone ground whole wheat flour
6 T Vital wheat gluten
1 T Flax seed
1 T Flax seed mill
1 T rolled oats
1 T sesame seed
1 T quinoa (I use some type of substitute)
1 T Sunflower seeds
1 t salt
2 T coconut oil, melted

Directions-

Pour warm water and honey into a large bowl, and stir to dissolve honey. Sprinkle the yeast over the top of the liquid and let stand until the yeast bubbles and forms a creamy layer.

In a bowl, stir together the whole wheat flour, gluten, flax seed, flax seed mill, rolled oats, sesame seed, quiona, sunflower seeds and salt until the seeds are dispersed evenly. Pour the flour mixture into the yeast mixture, add the coconut oil and mix everything together. Scoop the dough out onto a well floured surface, and knead until smooth and springy (which I would just say need for about 15 min). Allow dough to rest for 15 minutes and then knead for another 10 minutes.

Form the dough into a ball and place in an oiled bowl, and turn the ball over several times to coat with oil. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, 30-45 min.

Grease two 9x5 loaf pans. Punch down the dough, and cut into 2 pieces. Form each piece into a loaf and place into the loaf pans., seam side down, and cover the pans with plastic wrap. Let rise until doubled, about 30 min.

Preheat oven to 350. Bake the loaves in the preheated oven until they are golden brown and sound hollow when tapped. 30-35 mins. I brush mine with coconut oil after they come out of the oven....mmmm...

I love that my children are growing up with the smells of freshly baked bread. THAT makes me smile!

Okay now I am off to bake! I am planning to make at least a double batch of this today. Four loaves should do it.....hmm....maybe I will make six.....

Sweet Old Lady

There is an image. A lady you have known forever. She has "always" been old. You don't remember her without silver hair. You probably remember her in your home church. In the same spot she had held for years. Right? Do you see her?

I do. I see that precious lady. I am reminded of her this morning. This woman loved the Lord. She was precious. I don't really remember not knowing her. She has always just been a part of my childhood memory. Her grandchildren were my friends. They are just mixed in my memory like so many other familiar things. I can't tell you about anything from my childhood that she did that was extra special, but she was just there.

What I can tell you is that, this morning that sweet lady is dancing at the feet of her savior. For those of you who know who I am talking about you are now smiling. Can you see her? Dancing? I don't think I could have ever imagined her dancing here. But I can see her this morning and it brings a smile to my face.

You see, this woman really stamped a BIG place in my heart almost 8 years ago. I was married and had moved a LONG way from home. My husband had decided that he and I would go on a mission trip, and we would need to raise funds to go. We sent out TONS of letters and told people about what we were doing, we begged them to pray and if God led, help us fund the trip. My church back home knew what we were doing and obviously announced it in church. I really don't know the details....they really don't matter. What I do remember is that I did NOT send this sweet old lady a letter. Never really occurred to me to send her one. But I got an envelope from her. There was a hand written note and a $10. She wrote about how she wished she could give more, and how she hoped that what she gave would help. It brings tears to my eyes even now to remember that gift. I know, I know, $10 isn't what bought the airline tickets or even breakfast one day, but $10 is what she had to give and she gave it. She reached down deep and gave what she could. Sure others gave more money, and likely some gave only a fraction of what they could. But God truly blessed my heart more with that $10 gift than with any other gift we received. She had heard about us, and what we were doing and she chose to give.

God blessed that trip, we were given all the money we needed and even extra we used to buy supplies for the missionaries that were there. God truly was glorified through His children, both old and young.

I just read on Facebook where that sweet old lady left her earthly body and stepped into eternity last night. I can only imagine how hard that is for her family this morning. I have only lost one grandparent and it was HARD. HARD, hardly describes it. I still miss him terribly. I know they are mourning their loss. However, I know that this sweet old lady, just like my grandfather, has reached a place of no more tears, no more pain, and no suffering. They can spend their days worshiping our Heavenly Father and for that I am so grateful and jealous! :) Their days are spent with endless praises to our Father! What a wonderful thing to remember!