EZ Wheat Bread

Prep Time: About 2 1/2 - 3 hours

I got this recipe from Crystal's blog, everydayfoodstorage.net/blog and fell in love with it - she even has videos to help you along.  I recently bought this Make-a-Mix cookbook again since mine fell apart and I lost some of the pages.  I was excited about making the mixes in the cookbook again and was going to make bread too, so I decided to try making a mix using Crystal's bread recipe.

This is her original recipe (the first amount is for 1 loaf and the second amount is for 2 loaves):

EZ Wheat Bread
1 loaf - 2 loaves
1 1/4 c - 2 1/2 c warm water
1/4 c - 1/2 c honey OR 1/3 c - 2/3 c sugar
1/4 c - 1/2 c wheat gluten
1 tsp - 2 tsp salt
2 Tbsp - 1/4 c non-instant dry milk
1 Tbsp - 2 Tbsp butter or oil
1 Tbsp - 2 Tbsp vinegar
1/4 c - 1/2 c potato flakes
1 Tbsp - 2 Tbsp active dry yeast

DIRECTIONS:
Mix ingredients in order listed in mixing bowl of mixer with dough hook attachment on low speed (level 2 on a Kitchen Aid) for 12 to 15 minutes.  Let rise until double, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours.  Punch down, roll out, and shape into loaves or rolls.  Let rise again until double and bake at 375F for 20 to 30 minutes (covering with foil after 10 minutes), until golden brown and sounds hollow when lightly tapped.


For the Bread Mix:

Mix all ingredients in the Bread Mix in a large bowl.  Label and store in a large air-tight container in the freezer and use within 6 months or store in the refrigerator and use within 3 months.

EZ Wheat Bread Mix
Makes 6 loaves - Makes 8 loaves
2 c - 2 2/3 c sugar
16 1/2 c  - 22 c whole wheat flour
1 1/2 c - 2 c wheat gluten
2 Tbsp  - 2 Tbsp + 2 tsp salt
3/4 c - 1 c non-instant dry milk
1 1/2 c - 2 c potato flakes

Six loaves recipe makes about 23 cups of mix.  Eight loaves recipe makes about 30 cups of mix.

To make EZ Wheat Bread:
1 loaf - 2 loaves
1 1/4 c - 2 1/2 warm water (more if needed, adding 1 Tbsp at a time)
3 3/4 c  - 7 1/2 c EZ Wheat Bread Mix
1 Tbsp - 2 Tbsp butter or oil
1 Tbsp - 2 Tbsp vinegar
1 Tbsp - 2 Tbsp instant yeast (if using active dry, add after water)

Make bread according to directions above.


Variation:
EZ Honey Wheat Bread Mix
Don't add sugar to EZ Wheat Bread Mix.  When making 1 loaf of bread, add 1/4 c. honey and use 3 1/3 c Bread Mix.  For 2 loaves, add 1/2 c. honey and use 6 3/4 c. Bread Mix.


Tips:
*I made the mix for 6 loaves and noticed that a #10 can of white wheat ground into flour is pretty close to the amount of flour needed for the recipe.
*I ALWAYS scoop flour into a measuring cup and then level it off with a straight edge. I do the same thing when measuring the mix.  You may not think this makes much of a difference, but it does.  It doesn't take too much longer and you end up with a lighter, more moist product.

Notes:
*I made 2 loaves of bread using the EZ Bread Mix and used 7 1/2 cups of mix, but the dough was too dry.  It should be fairly soft and a little tacky.  I added about 1/2 c. of water a tablespoon at a time and it turned out perfect.  I will be experimenting some more to find the perfect recipe...