The Seven Sisters’ Bread
When I first ate this bread at a tea that the Farmgirls had invited us to, I was in baker heaven! It was the best homemade bread I had had in a long time, being myself the only one who really makes it here. I set about to get the recipe from Jessica, and she gave it quite happily. I was very happy indeed when I made it myself, as it turned out wonderfully! Its all in a recipe, if you ask me, whether or not something will turn out.
For instance, I made pretzels using not a very good recipe about three years ago. I didn’t like them after the third time I had made them, and so gave up the endeavour. But after finding the best recipe that worked so well, and tasted wonderful too, I love making pretzels. Of course, when I first started trying my hand at bread making, I was only twelve, and have since learned quite a few things in my four years of baking and cooking. But this bread is sure to turn out, if its followed directly.
The Seven Sisters’ Bread {Or Whole Wheat White Bread}
Yield: 2 loaves | prep time: 45 minutes
2 3/4 cups warm water*
1/4 cup plus 2 tbsps. honey
4 tsps. active dry yeast
1/3 cup coconut oil
4 tsps. lemon juice
4 tsps. salt
1 cup oat bran
2 cups whole wheat flour
4+ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
Mix water and 2 tbsps. honey together in glass bowl. Sprinkle yeast over the water, then let proof for 10 minutes. Add the rest in order given and mix well. Add more flour as needed, perhaps up to four cups, until dough is no longer sticky. Knead until the dough is smooth and elastic.* Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour. Punch down dough and divide it in half. Let rest 10 minutes. Shape into loaves and place in greased pans. Let rise until nearly double, about 1 hour. 20 minutes before done rising a second time, set oven to 350 degrees. When its done rising and oven is at the right temperature, bake for 25-35 minutes, or until the bread is golden brown on top and sounds hollow when tapped. Brush the tops of the loaves with butter.
*Usually, I test the water by sticking my finger in it, and if I can just barely leave my finger in the water for 5 seconds, then I know it’s the right temperature
*The dough is elastic “if you lightly poke your finger in the dough, it pretty much springs back.”
So… you let me know how it went, and you don’t have to thank me, reader, because aside from my asking, it gives m satisfaction to make people happy. hehe! I couldn’t resist saying that. :) I’ll leave you with one more parting photo to get you all hyped up about making your own delicious bread -
shalom!
-Ra’chel
Hey Rachel! Great pictures, I love the SvenSisters bread!
Love,
Miss Hannah
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That looks delicious! Here at my house, we make sourdough bread. After you get used to homemade bread, it is hard to go back to store bought!
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Wow!! This recipe is very different!! I had put off making slicing bread because it was either too crumbly or had to be all white flour. I am definitely going to try this one.
Thanks Ladies!!!
Navah/Teresa
.-= Teresa Smith´s last blog .. =-.
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Awesome! Thanks so much for sharing. I absolutely agree about the importance of the recipe – for years I thought I was lousy at making bread. Turns out I just wasn’t trying the right recipes. : )
I love that this uses coconut oil! And oat bran. Now I just want to tweak it so it’s 100% whole wheat. ; )
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Greetings,
Thank you so much for posting this recipe… I shall try this soon, looks like a very nice recipe…love the fact that it has all the honey in it.
Lovely work on the pictures as well.
Have a nice day!
Brielle
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That bread was the best bread i have ever eatin YUM
Sincerely
Sir Eric
.-= Sir Eric ´s last blog ..Wordless Wednesday: Gate to The Right Path And The Fence Line =-.
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ooooh! that. was. the. best. bread. EVAH! seriously Rachel… that was phenomenal! so much so… you should make more and more! :D
haha
love you!
.-= Amanda´s last blog ..Placed For A Purpose =-.
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Miss Ra'chel Reply:
March 1st, 2010 at 2:17 am
how did I know that was coming? :P
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Amanda Reply:
March 1st, 2010 at 2:28 pm
haha… cause you’re a brilliant! ;)
.-= Amanda´s last blog ..Placed For A Purpose =-.
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Miss Ra'chel Reply:
March 1st, 2010 at 2:50 pm
yeah sure. :P
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:P You are smart and brilliant Rachel! ;) Love you!
I will be glad to help you make Apple Crisp tomorrow!
Love,
Miss Hannah
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You are making me hungry!!! I love your pictures, Rachel! You always make the food look so pretty!
love,
Jessica
.-= Jessica´s last blog ..9 years ago {yesterday} =-.
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So I’ve been following your sisters’ blogs for a LONG time, and I never knew you had a blog! (until now!) Awesome!
And as I can’t make a decent loaf of bread from Mom’s recipe to save my life, I may have to try this one… ;-)
.-= Jen´s last blog ..Lo, I am with you always =-.
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Loved your site and this bread sounds great! I am an older lady, and don’t cook as much as I used to. In fact, have no kitchen even to cook in. But, I wanted to tell you a funny about myself and bread baking. When I was 21 and my husband (Navy) and I (grew up on a Kansas farm) lived in Anaheim, CA. (We lived in one of those California apartments with two stories around a courtyard with a pool.) I decided, since I was not teaching that semester that I would try my hand at bread baking. After all, I had watched my mother bake bread all of my life, so I figured I had the basics down. After talking with momma and getting her recipe on the phone, I set out to do my best. Well, I had hardly finished baking when the doorbell rang, and one of my neighbors was outside. She introduced herself and said she smelled the bread and wondered if I needed a taste tester. So I invited her in and we cut into the first loaf. Even to this day I can remember the taste of that wonderful warm bread spread with butter. Needless to say, she said she had never tasted such wonderful bread (I believed it, as I could see she wanted to taste MORE!) So we indulged, and finished the entire first loaf. The next day, I baked some more, and soon was making the acquaintance of several new neighbors, who helped polish off the four loaves I had just baked. One of them commented on the fine texture of the bread, seeing that this was only my second try at bread baking. I told them that I had watched momma knead bread for years, and just did what mother had done; kneaded it until it cried out for help. Finally, I felt confident enough to make a batch for my husband. I was rather proud of my efforts, and when he got home from the Naval base, fixed supper and we had the bread I had made earlier that afternoon. His first comment after eating it was: It sure does not taste like
Wonder Bread. Wonder Bread is so soft and puffy and mashes down good. After telling this to my mother, and later my first taste testing neighbor, I was advised to banish him to his Wonder Bread Island and save the good stuff (my homemade bread) for my appreciative neighbors who knew good cooking when they ate it! It was many years later that he confessed that maybe the homemade bread was pretty good after all and could I make some for him and would I PLEASE forgive him the Wonder Bread incident. He claimed new husband temporary insanity. I forgave him. He got my bread again.
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