Bread Results

I have finally managed a nice full size loaf, and the added grains are wonderful. The extra gluten allowed the plain wheat loaf to rise beautifully. The grain loaf, where I added milled flax and steal cut oats after the first rise, didn't do as well. I don't know if it was the extra kneading necessary to add the grain or the grain itself. These are wonderfully smooth loaves perfect for sandwich making. I must say that I do like a heartier flavor in my bread; that's one of the things that makes baking your own bread so great. For the kids who are used to store bought wheat bread though, this will be a perfect and oh so much healthier substitute. I think I will keep a pre-cut loaf in the freezer for the children's lunches; using it frozen in the morning since it will easily defrost by lunch time, and at the same time help keep other things in the lunch cold. I have not attempted this as 100% whole wheat yet. It's about half and half unbleached bread flour and whole wheat, but I think it should work fine. I'm going to pick up some King Arthur's white whole wheat and see what happens with that. King Arthur's seems to be reputed to be a very good flour for yeast breads. Meanwhile, I will keep experimenting to find something that will satisfy my husband's and my desire for a something a little more hearty. I'm going to wait to share the recipe because I'd still like to tweak it a little in an effort to make it a smoother process with measurements that will be easy to remember so that when one is attempting as I am to quit buying store bought bread, it is a simple procedure to whip up a couple of loaves once or twice a week without pulling out any cook books and without dirtying every measuring instrument you own. Clean up is my least favorite part of the baking process and the less I have to do the better.