I want to try making bread

[Magic Microbe]

I have never made it before and I don't have a breadmaker. Direct me to some good whole wheat or whole grain recipes please!

[all-smiles]

What kind of bread do you want and what texture do you like? Ever done the artisan bread in 5 minutes?

[witchypoo]

kingarthurflour.com

[merigayle]

I made a great rosemary bread, it is on my pinterest. Or i can link it when not on phone

[Magic Microbe]

What kind of bread do you want and what texture do you like? Ever done the artisan bread in 5 minutes?

I like a bread with a lot of texture but not dense. I currently buy a sprouted wheat with flax seed bread...the flax seeds are not ground.

I have only ever made quick bread.

[Magic Microbe]

I made a great rosemary bread, it is on my pinterest. Or i can link it when not on phone

I actually cannot stand rosemary. 

[Magic Microbe]

Wait...do I need special flour?

[nadra24]

If you want whole wheat bread, you will need to buy some wheat gluten otherwise it will be very dense.  My mom and sister are big bread makers, and they use half whole wheat flour and half white flour.  I do not possess their bread making skills, and the only recipe I have makes five loaves.  If nobody else posts a recipe today I will check with her and have her cut it down to two loaves for you, and you can make it in your Kitchenaid. 

[Magic Microbe]

I usually bake all my desserts with half while wheat and half white so I can handle that.

[nadra24]

Ok, then you probably don't need wheat gluten.  I will see if I can get the recipe from her, but it won't be until tonight.

[caribougrrl]

if you've never made bread before, I would suggest starting with a plain white loaf... add texture on subsequent tries because you want to first learn how to feel the dough

any basic bread recipe will do... warm water, some sort of sugar, yeast, flour, salt

some tips:

do not use boiling water, tap-hot is hot enough, any hotter you may kill the yeast (you probably have a much more precise idea of what is too hot for yeast, but that's my rule)

stir the flour into the liquid a little bit at at time (but start with a whole cup) and stir and stir and stir... this develops the gluten... eventually you will see the dough pull away from the sides but it will look like it's attached to the bowl by strings (that's the gluten!)

when kneading, don't fight the dough, just fold and push... never mind the time it tells you for kneading in the recipe (not bad as a guideline, but it will vary quite day to day, recipe to recipe), you want to learn to feel the dough... it's done when a thumbprint disappears fairly quickly (dough springs back) and the surface feels soft and smooth... think baby's bottom, or what we like to think a baby's bottom feels like

[monster2]

I want to make bread too but I am askeered, I am a horrible baker.  The five minute quick bread gave me two different sets of bread that resembled rocks.....

[merigayle]

You can buy bread flour or use AP flour with 1tbs of vital wheat gluten per cup of flour.

[Ice Cream]

That so called 5 min. bread is really not 5 min.

[Magic Microbe]

if you've never made bread before, I would suggest starting with a plain white loaf... add texture on subsequent tries because you want to first learn how to feel the dough

any basic bread recipe will do... warm water, some sort of sugar, yeast, flour, salt

some tips:

do not use boiling water, tap-hot is hot enough, any hotter you may kill the yeast (you probably have a much more precise idea of what is too hot for yeast, but that's my rule)

stir the flour into the liquid a little bit at at time (but start with a whole cup) and stir and stir and stir... this develops the gluten... eventually you will see the dough pull away from the sides but it will look like it's attached to the bowl by strings (that's the gluten!)

when kneading, don't fight the dough, just fold and push... never mind the time it tells you for kneading in the recipe (not bad as a guideline, but it will vary quite day to day, recipe to recipe), you want to learn to feel the dough... it's done when a thumbprint disappears fairly quickly (dough springs back) and the surface feels soft and smooth... think baby's bottom, or what we like to think a baby's bottom feels like

Is wheat really that much harder because I don't eat white bread.

[Courtney]

Is wheat really that much harder because I don't eat white bread.

Yes, in my experience. 

If you've never baked with yeast before, I'd really try some white bread first.  Home made white bread is like 80000000000x better than any store bought stuff, IMHO. 

I baked a whole wheat beer bread that was really good, but my other attempts at wheat bread were only so-so.

[nadra24]

Is wheat really that much harder because I don't eat white bread.

It is a little more touchy, I think. 

I wish I was going to be home soon.  I would tell you to bring your mixer over to my mom's house and have her give us both a bread making tutorial. 

[Magic Microbe]

It is a little more touchy, I think. 

I wish I was going to be home soon.  I would tell you to bring your mixer over to my mom's house and have her give us both a bread making tutorial. 

I was going to joke that your mom should just come give me lessons. 

[nadra24]

I was going to joke that your mom should just come give me lessons. 

She actually probably would, if you were interested.  But it might be a bit awkward to sit with her for a few hours while the bread rises.  She is very entertaining though, I'm sure you'd have a good time.  If my nephews are there, they are also very entertaining.

[merigayle]

check out Martha Stewart's site as well as King Arthur flour's site. Martha, I listen to her show on Martha Radio, where people call in with questions and she is always answering bread questions and referring to her site.

[witchypoo]

That so called 5 min. bread is really not 5 min.

agreed.