Honey And Cracked Wheat Bread (130 calories per slice)

 

The bowl contains bulgur wheat that was used to make this bread.

The warm wonderful smell of fresh baked bread and this recipe adds the sweet smell of honey to waif through the house during baking. Something that smells this good has to taste good and it is good for you. For you dieters, the calorie count is only 130 per ½ inch slice. Because it has a dense and hardy texture, it makes a very filling sandwich.

When I was a child, cracked wheat bread was common in grocery stores. My next door neighbor’s husband would only eat cracked wheat bread. I remember walking to the store for them to purchase a loaf. At that time regular bread was $.29 a loaf and cracked wheat was $.39 a loaf. I haven’t seen cracked wheat in years but I am sure it would be $3 a loaf now. I was excited when I found this recipe for honey and cracked wheat bread and made sure the next shopping trip to purchase the grains I needed.

I didn’t have any trouble finding what I needed to make this bread at my local grocery. For a long time the only flour you saw at the grocery was all purpose and self rising and sometimes rye or whole wheat flour. But after bread machines became popular other kinds of flour began to show up on store shelves. Which has become a real delight to bakers that want specialty breads fresh out of their own ovens. Also there is a demand for none wheat products for allergies.

During the summertime here in Florida, I put my bread dough on my screened in porch to rise. I cover it with vegetable sprayed wrap or non stick foil and keep it out of the sun. It rises beautifully. I set the timer so I don’t forget about it for half the recommended time then check on it. Then reset the timer for the rest of the time. Sometimes it will rise quickly. My bread baking always turns out better in the summer.

Honey and Cracked Wheat Bread

1 cup boiling water

1/3 cup bulgur (cracked wheat)

Pour the boiling water over the bulgur in a large mixing bowl to let stand as you get the yeast ready.

2 packages active yeast

1/3 cup warm water 110 degrees

Sprinkle yeast over warm water in the measuring cup. Let stand for 5 minutes until it is bubbly.

½ cup honey

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon vegetable oil

1 teaspoon salt

Now add yeast, honey, oil and salt to bulgur and mix.

2 cups bread flour

1 ½ cups whole wheat flour

Slowly add one cup at a time to mixture in the mixing bowl using a dough hook if you have a heavy mixer. Or you can do it stirring by hand. If you are working the dough by hand you will have to knead it for about 5 minutes until it is elastic. If you are using a mixer that is heavy-duty with a dough hook it takes only half the time to make the dough elastic. Place the dough in a bowl, that is sprayed with vegetable spray, and cover with non stick foil or oil sprayed plastic wrap. Don’t use a damp towel or dry cloth because your dough will stick to it and you will have a mess plus lose some of your dough. Let dough rise in a warm place for 1 hour.

When dough is double it will hold the indentation of your two fingers. Turn out dough on a floured surface.

Roll dough in a rectangle the width of your bread pan and about 12 inches long. The recommended size is a standard loaf pan 9 x 5 x 3 inches.

Roll the dough up jelly style and tuck end under. Place dough in vegetable sprayed or greased pan. Cover with non stick foil or vegetable sprayed plastic wrap. It will rise in 40 minute. Check in 30 minutes and then turn on stove to warm up at 350 degrees. Your stove will be hot and ready to go at the end of 40 minutes.

Bake for 45 minutes until it is golden brown and sound hollow when you tap on it. It turns out of the pan very easily after it set for 5 min. Cool before slicing.

It didn’t take my family long to eat most of the bread after I took pictures.  They kept hovering around the hot bread griping at me because I was waiting for it to cool enough to slice for a nice slice to photograph.  Normally they will burn their fingers to get the first slice of homemade bread.  My oldest grandson showed up just as I finished with the camera and asked to have some.  He and his girl friend had just be out for spaghetti dinner.  She asked him where did he have room for that big slice of bread and he told her he always had room for my fresh baked bread.