Bread that Nourishes Soul and Body

Bread that Nourishes Soul and Body

By: Susan Schiller

From the series, "Recipes that Heal"   To print this article, click here.

I'm really picky about the bread I eat – are you? I used to be one of those people who could gain two pounds just by looking at bread. The middle age spread thing, you know? Eating bread no longer causes me to gain weight – yay!

Bread has been blamed for a lot of what ails us, but I'm wondering if the real culprits are the way our modern flours are processed and the additives that are put into those handy bags of grain we bring home from the supermarket.

A few years ago I began going to whole food stores to buy my bread… Ezekiel bread, to be specific. It was expensive! Nearly $5 per loaf! So I read the label, and I thought to myself: I believe God made wheat and all these other ingredients to make our hearts happy and our bodies healthy. How about if I make my own bread? If it's non-GMO, I think it will work… everyone needs bread!

Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where nature may heal and give strength to body and soul. — John Muir.

So I began hunting for recipes that eliminated white flour and only used whole foods, like oats, rye, wheat, honey, flax seeds, etc. My goal was to bake all of my own bread for less than 50 cents a loaf. Saving money makes me happy, too!

I discovered that baking bread is not only an art, but a science. It's learning how to mix chemicals so that they all cooperate in order to achieve maximum results. It took me months and months of experimenting with varying amounts of soy lecithin, guar gum, ascorbic acid, salt, and other minor ingredients to achieve a loaf of whole wheat bread that melts in your mouth and contains not a speck of white flour or sugar!

Packed with protein and fiber, as well as carbohydrates, and high in B vitamins; I eat just one slice every morning and it fills me until lunchtime! My breakfast costs me about 5-10 cents, depending on what I put on it. This fits in with my overall goals of 1.) eating well and caring for my body on $3/day or less; 2.) create extra savings ($70 per month, as compared to comparable store brands); and 3.) being happy, because there's something about making your own food that nourishes your soul.

I am proud to be an American. Because an American can eat anything on the face of this earth as long as he has two pieces of bread. — Bill Cosby

I agree with Bill! Put some bread alongside a nourishing homemade soup, and you've got some serious comfort food with powerful nutrients going into both your soul and body! To get the most out of those nutrients, I recommend a tall bottle of Kombucha Tea, prior to eating – it's packed with vitamins, acids, probiotics, and hundreds of other nutrients that protect and maintain your colon so that your body can make the most of the good food you put into it!

It took me several months to come up with "the perfect homemade bread recipe" – for me, anyway! I'm going to share it with you, in case you want to give it a try! It makes four loaves, which is usually enough for 2-3 people, for one week.

Here's the recipe for 4 loaves:

1/2 cup warm water

1 Tablespoon honey or sugar

1/4 cup flour

2 3/4 Tablespoons yeast

1.) Mix the above 4 ingredients with an electric hand-mixer in a large bowl. Let sit for 5-minutes until bubbly. While it's starts to rise, put 2 cups of Old Fashioned 7-grain cereal in a blender or food-processor and grind into a coarse flour. Add to the mixture, along with 2 cups of whole wheat flour.

Next ingredients:

2/3 cup oil (I use Olive Oil)

2/3 cup raw honey or brown sugar

1 cup powdered milk (for softer texture and added nutrients)

3/4 cup Flax Seeds (nutrient-dense, for added nutritional benefits)

4 Tablespoons Soy Lecithin (helps create a softer texture, since there is no white flour)

1 Tablespoon Ascorbic Acid (helps with raising the heavy dough, since it contains much less gluten than white flour)

1 Tablespoon Guar Gum (helps keep the bread from being too crumbly, since there is little gluten, no white flour)

2 Tablespoons Real Salt (natural salt, that is actually good for you)

4 1/3 cups warm water

2.) Using an electric mixer, beat all of the above ingredients, minus the last 8 cups of flour, until well blended.

Next ingredients are added one cup at a time: 8 cups of organic whole wheat flour (I use Montana Wheat, known to be organic and non-GMO) Add or reduce, according to texture, temperature, and humidity.

As a side note: I examine labels as much as possible to use only non-GMO products, organic, and with no additives. I believe it's in large part due to the GMO's and additives that are making us sick from bread. I'm not a health expert – this is just my own thought.

3.) Continue using the electric hand-mixer until you've added the 4th cup of flour. After that use a large wooden spoon, unless you have a mixer that can handle very heavy dough. And then for the final 2 cups of flour, turn the dough out on the counter and knead the final 2 cups of flour with your hands. You'll know when the dough is ready by the smooth texture. If it doesn't fold into itself nicely, then there is too much flour… so discontinue adding flour just at the point when the dough stops being sticky.

4.) Pre-heat your oven to 170 degrees Farenheit. Grease a very large stainless steel bowl with oil. Get a wet towel to place over the bowl, once the dough is ready.

4.) Mold the dough into a round lump and place in the greased bowl, flipping it over once, so both sides are greased. Cover with the damp towel.

5.) Set in the pre-heated oven at 170 degrees for about a half-hour, depending on your environment.  Check often until you get used to what works best for you. It usually rises till nearly double for me in about a half hour.

6.) Remove from oven and place the lump on the counter. Divide into four equal pieces. I use a knife to cut it evenly. Shape each of the four pieces into loaves that will fit an 8×4 inch loaf pan. You will need four pans… I like to use cast iron pans, because they bake the most evenly.

7.) Place the dough loaves in the four pans and set on oven rack, still using the 170 degree temperature. I have a standard size oven and all four pans fit on one rack with enough space in between so they don't touch. Loaves should rise until they top the edges of the pan by about 1 1/2 inches or so, in about 20-25 minutes.

8.) Without removing the pans, increase the temperature of your oven to 350 degrees Farenheit and bake for approximately 35 minutes. Depending on your oven, the time and temperature may need to be adjusted. The loaves will look nicely tan or light brown when finished.

9.) Turn loaves out the pans and allow to cool on racks. Bask in the aroma! Fight for the heels! Yum….

I hope you enjoy – please let me now how it goes for you, if you decide to try the recipe! And please do share your own recipes in the comment section below… I'm especially wanting to try some rye bread or sour dough bread!

With all my love,

Sue

Susan Schiller knows how it feels to lose everything: marriage and family, church and reputation, finances and businesses, and more. Susan's upcoming, interactive memoir, "On the Way Home," tells the story of how she came to be known as "the most abused woman" her counselors had yet met and how she learned to navigate her way out of hell to a rich and satisfying life. In her lifetime, Susan has served in duties ranging from home school mom – to pastor –  to full-time deliverance minister – and to Midwest regional prayer coordinator for a large international ministry. These days you can usually find Susan soaking in her favorite hot springs pool, reading a book (or several), blogging, baking bread, or hanging out with her family and friends. You can get a free copy of Susan's upcoming book, "On the Way Home" by registering here.

Copyright 2012, Susan McKenzie, http://TeamFamilyOnline.com. Permission is granted to copy, forward, or distribute this article for non-commercial use only, as long as this copyright byline and bio, in totality, is maintained in all duplications, copies, and link references.  For reprint permission for any commercial use, in any form of media, please contact Susan Schiller.