Autumn is here, which means baking weather is upon us. Last winter, I began baking bread to go along with the various soups I was making. This fall, I learned that the fabulous farmstand known as Pete’s Produce grows, mills and sells their own wheat flour. Owner Pete Flynn was kind enough to show me the whole wheat he keeps stored in the walk-in refrigerator and the Meadow Mills Stone Mill he uses. Pete and his crew mill the flour on the premises, and only produce a few bags at a time. He also shared a whole wheat bread recipe from his favorite baking book.
Pete explained that he grows two types of wheat flour on his farm: hard red wheat and soft red wheat. Hard red wheat, which is mostly used to bake bread, is not grown much on the east coast. It is high in gluten, and Pete likes using it to make pumpkin bread. It’s planted in March and harvested in July. Soft red wheat, often used to make pretzels, is more common along the east coast and is lower in gluten. It is planted in the fall, generally October, and is harvested the following July.
Pete explained that many types of flour we purchase in supermarkets are treated with additives so they have a longer shelf life. “Our flour should be kept in the refrigerator since it doesn’t have additives.” He walked me over to the fridge and pulled out a bag. “The fresh ground flour has more flavor to it. The stone mill releases the oils in the wheat and gluten makes the wheat elastic.”
As Pete thumbed through a copy of Recipes from the Old Mill: Baking with Whole Grains, his wife Amy stopped by. Upon hearing we were discussing Pete’s wheat bread, Amy confirmed Pete’s baking abilities, stating, “The smell in our house in December is fantastic.”
I decided on this recipe for whole wheat bread from the cookbook. I used Pete’s hard red flour, but cut the recipe in half for my batch. The delicious whole wheat bread was perfect with my first homemade soup of the season.
Remember, wheat bread is naturally denser than white bread. The flavor of this whole wheat bread was definitely bolder than using store bought wheat flour, kind of like drinking a craft beer compared to a domestic beer! This is full-flavored bread.
100% Whole Wheat Bread Recipe
sourced from: Recipes from the Old Mill: Baking with Whole Grains
Ingredients:
-
3 cups warm water
-
2 packages dry yeast
-
1/3 cup of oil
-
1/3 cup of honey
-
1 cup of instant nonfat dry milk
-
1 Tbsp. salt
-
8–9 cups whole wheat flour
Directions:
- Dissolve yeast in warm water. Stir and let sit for five minutes.
- Add oil, honey, dry milk, salt, and enough whole wheat flour to make a stiff dough.
- Turn onto a floured surface and allow to rest under inverted bowl for 10 minutes.
- Place in greased bowl and turn dough over. Cover and let rise until double in bulk, about 1 ½ hours.
- Punch down and divide dough into three balls. Cover and let rest for 10 minutes. Shape into loaves and place in greased loaf pans.
- Cover and let rise until double in bulk, about 45-60 minutes.
- Bake at 375 degrees for 40 minutes. Brush hot loaves with milk.
Pete’s Produce is located on Route 926, also known as 1225 E. Street Road, West Chester, PA. They will be open through October. If going in November, call first to check hours. (610) 399-3711.
