Whole Wheat Bread Update

Last week I posted the recipe for whole wheat bread that my husband (and children) LOVE. The only problem I mentioned I had with it was the texture not being "formed" enough to make into rolls. Last night, I made the recipe again, and played around with it a bit until I got the right texture. The secret? 1 extra cup of flour! Nice and easy :-) So, for me, the recipe works better with 6 cups of flour rather than 5, especially since I knead by hand. Both amounts, however, produced excellent flavor and texture of finished bread!

Also, since I did add extra flour, instead of using flour to dust my hands and countertop while I kneaded, I used cold water to make sure the bread stayed moist instead of accidentally overdosing on four and drying out. Anytime I felt the dough getting stuck on the counter or my hands, I just ran my hands under cold water and the dough freed itself just fine.

One thing I love about kneading whole wheat bread by hand is how I can feel when the kneading is done. The dough stays stiff and heavy for what seems like the longest time, but when that magic moment is reached, it suddenly springs into something light and airy feeling. There's a total difference! It takes a bit of perseverance - I think yesterday it took me a little over 10 minutes of kneading, but it really is the neatest feeling!