The "Staff of LIfe...."

Gathering supplies for making Bran Bread.

Add all dry ingredients to the food processor.

After adding liquid, pulse 30 times to knead the dough.

Place dough in oiled bowl.

Let rise; punch down; rise 30 minutes longer.

After second rising, turn out on floured surface; pat into rectangle.

Fold into thirds.

Let rise until doubled.

Bake until nicely brown, with a hollow sound when lightly tapped.

Slice and enjoy!:-)

Bread has been called the "staff of life" for centuries.  There are many kinds of yeast breads that I have baked through the years, but this is the first time for me to bake Bran Bread.  You will notice there are some usual ingredients missing: no eggs, no milk, no sugar, no oil/fat.  This bakes into a dense loaf, and the Man of the House proclaimed it "hearty!":-)  The recipe comes from the Weight Watchers New Complete Cookbook, 2006 edition, p. 67.

BRAN BREAD

1 envelope active dry yeast

1 1/3 cups lukewarm (105-115 degree F) water

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup + 2 Tablespoons wheat bran

1/2 cup + 2 Tablespoons whole-wheat flour

2 teaspoons salt 

- In a small bowl, sprinkle the yeast over the water.  Let stand until foamy, about 10 minutes.

- In a food processor, combine the all-purpose flour, wheat bran, whole-wheat flour, and salt. With the machine running, scrape the yeast mixture through the feed tube just until the dough forms a ball.  Knead the dough by pulsing until it is smooth and no longer sticky, about 30 times.

- Spray a large bowl with nonstick spray; place the dough in the bowl.  Cover loosely with plastic wrap or a damp towel, and let the dough rise in a warm, draft-free place until it doubles in volume, about 1 hour.

- Punch down the dough.  Cover loosely with plastic wrap or a damp towel and let it rise in a warm, draft-free place about 30 minutes.

- Punch down the dough; lightly sprinkle a work surface with flour.  Turn out the dough; pat into 

an 8 x 12-inch rectangle.  Fold into thirds, lengthwise, pinching the seams to seal, and form into an 

8-inch loaf.

- Spray an 8 x 4 -inch loaf pan with nonstick spray.  Place the loaf in the pan, seam-side down.  Cover loosely with plastic wrap or a damp towel and let it rise until the dough is about 1-inch above the rim of the pan, about 1 hour.  Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

- Lightly brush the loaf with water.  Bake on the center oven rack until golden brown and the loaf sounds hollow when tapped lightly on top, 45-50 minutes.  Remove from the pan and cool completely (preferably overnight) on a rack.

In regards to the amount of salt mentioned in this recipe, we have had the habit of reducing our sodium intake for a number of years, and I don't ever use the amount of salt called for in the recipe.  Also, the bread dough did not ever reach the point above the edge of the pan that the recipe suggests, and I even added another hour.  

Thank you to those of you who are reading.  I love your comments.

Next time - Chilly Weather.