Recipe by Wardeh Harmon and her mom, Martha Bisharat

This is the traditional Middle Eastern goat cheese. It is salty and yummy. It is best tasting when made from fresh goat’s milk. I’m not going to lie to you, though — not everyone likes this cheese. It is definitely an acquired taste. I’m one of those who love it. I gobbled it up as often as I could. Growing up, whenever we would get together with extended family, one of my aunts (usually Aunt Nina or Aunt Selma) would add some to the feast. We ate it for breakfast, lunch and dinner. There would be squares of it laid out. I never ate it on a sandwich or on anything else — I just alternated bites of it with the other delicious foods being served.

The process of making the goat’s cheese can easily take the whole day. You won’t be working most of the time, though, just waiting. You don’t want to rush it. I would encourage you to make sure your dishes are done because you’ll tie up your sink for hours — unless you’re one of the blessed who may have a laundry room sink or other sink to use for this process.

I’m not an expert at cheese making– I’ve made this cheese a half dozen times now. I am following in the footsteps of my talented and gifted mom, who learned how to make it from my Aunt Nina. So I’ll share what we do. If you have questions, please ask!

This recipe may be doubled or tripled successfully. Any more than that and you will have a hard time handling it. The pictures in the tutorial show the recipe doubled (using 2 gallons of raw goat milk).

The Ingredients.

• 1 gallon fresh, raw goat milk
• 20 drops of liquid rennet (available at a health food store)

1. Prepare a Press.

You will need to have a press of some sort. One way to do this is to use a cutting board. The cheese will lay on top of this, along with a tray of heavy objects (such as rocks or canned goods). If you wish, you can use another cutting board on top of the cheese, and then weight it down with a bucket full of sand or the tray full of heavy objects.

My dad gave me the following homemade cheese press last Christmas (2005). It consists of 2 cutting boards with holes in the corners, into which I insert bolts to connect them together. A wing nut is attached to the end of the corner bolt to tighten down the “press.”

This is 1 of the 2 14″ x 18″ plastic cutting boards. The red dots show you where my dad drilled 1/4″ holes in each corner, 1-1/2″ from each edge. The holes in this cutting board line up exactly with the holes in the other cutting board.

Through each corner, I insert a 3″ long, 3/16″ wide bolt. I also use 2 washers — one under the screw head of the bolt and the other under the wing nut that attaches to the free end of the bolt. I lay the entire unit down (both cutting boards screwed together loosely) over the sink, with the wing nuts facing up. Then when I put the cheese between the 2 cutting boards, I can tighten the wing nuts to bring the boards closer together, thereby acting as a press on the cheese.

A note about my press: It was the first one my dad made. He observed it in action. Since then, we have decided that it would be better if the cutting boards were smaller. Because the screws in the corners are so far away from the cheese in the middle between the boards, they don’t exert enough pressure on the cheese when tightened down. To counteract this, I put a weight (such as a bucket full of sand or a tray full of canned goods) on top of the cutting boards, directly over the cheese. So use this as a guide, but recognize that we are still figuring it out ourselves.

2. Heat the Milk.

In a pot of sufficient size (with a lid), heat the milk to lukewarm (86 degrees), enough to take the chill out. Remove from heat.

3. Add the Rennet.

Measure out the rennet into a bowl, stirring a little milk into it. Then pour all of it into the lukewarm milk. Cover and let this sit for 2-1/2 to 3 hours.

You will know it has been enough time when the whey is separating out and the solids have a yogurt-like consistency.

Uncover and let cool for 15 to 30 minutes.

4. Squeeze out Whey.

Pour the solidifying milk into a cloth drip bag, such as a pillow case. The cloth mesh should be fine enough for the whey to strain but no milk solids to escape.

It gets a little tricky here and you must work fast to keep your milk from spilling out into the sink. A firm twist to the cloth bag will control the contents. The whey will seem to be gushing out from all directions.

Continue squeezing out the whey until the remaining contents in the bag feel fairly solid. This can take time, so be patient. When it no longer feels like liquid, move it over in the sink and get the bottom layer of your press (one cutting board) set up over the sink.

Create a squared-up shape of the bag and its contents.

Add the other cutting board (if using) and weight to compress the cheese. Let set 2 hours or so.

After about 2 hours, the cheese is getting firm and close to the desired thickness of 1/2-inch.

The cheese is still moldable at this stage. It is a good time to square up your block. For example, where the drip cloth is twisted, it can create a hole in the center of the block of cheese. Removing the weights and handling only the outside of the cloth, untwist the cloth and lay it across the cheese.

Stop pressing out the whey when the cheese reaches a thickness of 1/2-inch. If necessary, add more weight to continue pressing out the whey to achieve the 1/2-inch thickness. This period may take many hours; this is okay. When done, the cheese should be slightly bendable without breaking and slightly rubbery.

5. Cut the Cheese.

Remove the cheese from the cloth bag.

Cut cheese into 2-inch squares or 2-inch by 3-inch pieces.

6. Desiccate* the Cheese.

Desiccate — to thoroughly dry out.

Lay 2 layers of paper towels on a baking tray.

Place the pieces of cheese on the tray.

Salt liberally on both sides. Cover with another 2 layers of paper towel. Let sit for the next 3 days, changing the paper towel at least one time every day. Repeat the salting process daily. The cheese will continue to drain over these days. Room temperature is okay.

7. Sanitize the Cheese.

Bring a pot of filtered water to boil. Boil 2 to 3 pieces of cheese at a time for 45 seconds to 1 minute. Do not boil for more than 1 minute or the cheese will get soggy. Cool on cutting board.

8. Storage and Serving.

Store in airtight container in the refrigerator or freeze in ziploc bag. Before serving, soak the cheese in very cold water to extract some of the saltiness and then pat dry to serve. This cheese is delicious with pocket bread.

© Copyright 2007 by Wardeh Harmon and Martha Bisharat.

This recipe makes 16 7-inch loaves and uses the Bosch Universal mixer. The recipe can be halved for kneading by hand or if using another mixer.

My grandmother and my namesake, Tata Wardeh, taught my mom to make pocket bread the age-old traditional way, which ironically, was with white flour or a blend of white and wheat flours. In the following recipe, I haven’t changed the traditional method, but I have altered it to make it 100% whole wheat. In addition, I added oil to the recipe to add moisture and elasticity to the dough.

Reading through this tutorial, you may think it is overwhelming. It may seem so, but I promise that the results are worth the effort! And I think you’ll find that after you do it once, the next time it won’t seem so hard. I encourage you to be willing to practice; your first batch may be less than perfect. I have a learning curve myself. I can’t think of anything that I’ve ever done really well on the first try!

Ingredients:

• 12 to 14 cups whole wheat flour (preferably hard white wheat flour, freshly ground)
• 1-1/2 tablespoons yeast
• 5 cups warm filtered water
• 1 cup vital wheat gluten flour
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 4 tablespoons raw honey or raw agave syrup
• 1 tablespoon sea salt

1. Sponge the Dough.

Put 6 cups of the whole wheat flour, all the water and all the yeast in the mixing bowl. Turn on to speed 1 intermittently, to mix until just blended. Cover bowl with both lids (lock in place) and allow to sit for 15 to 30 minutes, until bubbly and much bigger.

2. Knead the Dough.

Remove inner lid. Punch down by briefly turning on mixer to Speed 1. Add the gluten flour, olive oil, honey, salt, and 4 cups of whole wheat flour. Put on inner lid. Begin mixing on Speed 1. Removing lid for each addition, add 1 to 2 cups (or more) whole wheat flour, 1/2 cup at a time, until dough feels springy, but not gooey. Increase to Speed 2. Knead for 8 to 10 minutes, with both lids on. You want the dough to be soft and springy after the kneading is complete. Overkneading or underkneading will result in tougher dough, so begin checking for springy-ness at about 7-1/2 minutes and every 30 seconds thereafter until you feel the dough is nice and soft.

3. The First Rise.

Transfer dough to a large, greased stainless steel bowl. Rotate it around so it gets coated on all sides, top and bottom, with the oil in the bowl. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and place in a warm place. Let rise until the dough increases by 30 to 50 percent, about 30 minutes.

4. Prepare a Place for Second Rise.

Choose a spacious counter or tabletop. Gather up a large piece of plastic (such as a vinyl tablecloth) and a sheet. If the resting place is smaller than the cloth sizes, get the cloths ready on a free floor space. Lay out the plastic and lay the sheet on top of it. Fold the plastic and sheet in half as one piece, keeping the plastic on the top and bottom. Adjust how you fold it to fit your resting place. For instance, you may have to start with the plastic and the sheet folded in half, then fold them in half together to fit on the resting place. In any case, you should end up with layers in this order: layer(s) of plastic, layer(s) of sheet, layer(s) of sheet, layer(s) of plastic. The resting dough will go between the layers of sheets.

5. Shape Dough Balls & Second Rise.

Return to dough. Pinch off chunks of dough and shape into 16 3-inch balls, tucking under as you shape. Place between prepared sheets to rise. Allow a 2-inch space around each ball for rising.

Cover and wait about 20 to 30 minutes. Balls should almost double in size. For warmth, if necessary, add another blanket to the top.

6. Prepare a Place for Third Rise.

Use a tabletop or the top of a bed. Gather two sheet and two blankets and lay them out in this order: blanket, sheet, sheet, blanket. You’ll need more space during this rise than the previous because each ball of dough will be rolled out to a 6 or 7 inch diameter.

This picture shows my 4 layers for rising on the tabletop. The top 3 are peeled back.

Roll up the top two layers (blanket and sheet) all the way to one end. You’ll unroll these over the dough that you transfer to rise here.

7. Roll Out Balls of Dough & Third Rise.

When balls have rested and risen, use a rolling pin on a clean, floured surface, to roll each dough ball to 1/4-inch thickness. Always roll gently. Do not over-roll. Leave the edges thick. You need to feel your own rhythm here — applying enough pressure to spread out the dough, but not too much to destroy the structure. This will come with practice. Concentrate on keeping the edges thick by lifting up the rolling pin before it reaches the edges.

Follow the method shown in these pictures.

Put a ball of dough on a lightly floured surface.

Flatten each ball gently with the palm of your hands.

Roll up and down once with the rolling pin. This counts as 2 rolls.

Rotate the dough 90 degrees by grasping the top of the dough and moving it counter-clockwise.

If the dough were a clock, you’d grasp it up by the “12″…

…and rotate it around counter-clockwise to the “9″.

Roll up and down once with the rolling pin. This is another 2 rolls.

You will repeat the rotating and rolling for no more than 5 to 6 rotations, or 10 to 12 rolls, at which point the dough should be at about a 6 to 7 inch diameter.

This one is done being rolled out. It is 7 inches diameter. Notice that the edges are still thick, even slightly thicker than the rest.

Carry the rolled out dough to the third rising place and place between the sheets. Here is where you will unroll the top layers as you fill it up. Repeat with all the remaining balls of dough. Do not allow the rolled out dough to touch. Be very gentle.

Let the dough rise for approximately 1-1/2 hours to 2 hours, until it is quite puffy.

8. Prepare & Preheat Oven.

About an hour into the third rise, arrange the oven racks by putting the bottom rack in the lowest position and the top rack in the second highest position. Fully preheat oven to highest bake setting 500 degrees or 550 degrees. You know your oven best. If it needs more than an hour to get up to temperature, start it sooner. Start it later if it doesn’t need quite as much time.

Also prepare a place for the finished loaves. Use a big towel folded in half on a clear countertop, preferably near the oven. The loaves will cool between the layers.

9. Bake Loaves.

After the 1-1/2 to 2 hour rise, very gently put 2 loaves (keeping the other rolled out loaves covered) on a baking sheet. Begin with the loaves that went to the rising place first. Use 2 baking sheets and 4 loaves if your oven will fit them both on the bottom rack.

As quickly as possible (while still being gentle), put the baking sheet on the lowest rack of the oven. Close the oven door quickly to retain heat.

Put two loaves in the oven to bake for 3 to 4 minutes.

Bake for 3 to 4 minutes, until loaves are puffed up and browned on the bottom. Sometimes 1 or both loaves will not puff up. In this case, bake for the full 4 minutes (unless the bottoms are getting too browned) and proceed to the next step.

Transfer the baking sheet to the upper rack and close the oven door quickly. Switch to broil for approximately 1 minute, or until the loaves are brown on top. Often, loaves that did not puff up during the bake will now puff up when broiled.

These loaves puffed up beautifully. I just transferred them to the top rack and switched to broil for 1 minute.

Remove the loaves from the oven and transfer them to between the layers of the towel you prepared earlier on the counter. This preserves moisture as the loaves cool. My mom and my Aunt Nina prefer to turn the loaves upside down when between the towels to cool. I don’t know if there is a scientific basis for this, but they say it helps make better bread. So now that’s what I do, too. I trust them.

It is okay to pile the loaves up on top of each other during the cooling.

Switch oven back to bake at 500 degrees or 550 degrees. Fill the baking sheet with another 2 loaves from the resting place. Bake for 3 to 4 minutes on the lower rack, then switch to the upper rack and broil for 1 minute. Transfer to the cooling area on the counter. Repeat for all loaves.

10. Finishing.

When loaves are cooled, bag them in plastic bags. Keep some out for immediate consumption and freeze the rest.

© Copyright 2007 by Wardeh Harmon.

Stuffed grape leaves are one of my all-time favorite foods. When we had them growing up, it was a family affair. Whoever was home loved to get in on the rolling. My mom would lead us in making a huge pot of them. We would eat off them for days, if they lasted that long! We ate them warm and cold — for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

The changes I’ve made to my mom’s recipe are to the filling — adding onions and switching out the white rice for brown. Changing the rice adds some cooking time and the possibility of having to add more water during cooking. Plan on an hour for the rolling — that is if you’re doing it yourself. Rolling them with others makes for less time and more fun! Halve the recipe if you don’t want to make so many.

Stuffed Grape Leaves (Dolmas) with Pictures
makes 60 to 70 rolls

Recipe by Wardeh Harmon and her mom, Martha Bisharat

Filling*:

• 4 cups brown rice, soaked for at least 1 hour, then drained & rinsed
• 1 to 2 pounds finely diced meat — venison, grass-fed beef, or natural lamb
• 1/2 onion, finely diced
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 2-1/2 teaspoons sea salt
• 3/4 teaspoon pepper
• 3/4 teaspoon allspice
• 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon

Rolls:

• (2) 8-ounce jars grape leaves, drained & rinsed well
• juice of 1/2 lemon
• sea salt
• water

Combine all stuffing ingredients and mix well in bowl. The picture demonstrates that the meat must be finely diced.

Lay out a towel for blotting next to a clean work surface, such as a cutting board. Take one grape leaf and blot it dry on the towel, then transfer it to your work surface, orienting it with the stem side facing toward you and with the rough (veined) side up.

Put 1 teaspoon of the stuffing above the stem and spread it out in a tube-shape as the picture shows.

Fold the bottom up over the stuffing.

Fold each side to the middle.

Roll tightly to make a tube that is about 3 inches long and 1/2 inch thick. Dimensions may vary depending on the size of grape leaves. Adjust amount of filling accordingly, but realize that the filling will swell quite a bit when the rice cooks. You will risk breaking the grape leaves during cooking if the rolls hold too much filling.

As you finish each roll, transfer it to a large stockpot, keeping the end of the rolled edge down. Repeat. Pack the finished rolls tightly into layers in the pot, as shown.

When all rolls are finished, sprinkle the tops of all the rolls in the pot with sea salt. Drizzle the lemon juice over all. Cover with water that comes up an inch or two over the top of the rolls. Put a lid or plate that fits inside the pot over the top of all the rolls to keep them in place while cooking.

Bring the contents of the pot to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and let simmer for 1 hour. Add water as necessary to make sure all the rolls are covered during the entire cooking time. After 1 hour, check a roll for doneness. The rice should be soft. Keep cooking until the rice is tender.

When done, remove from heat. Drain the excess water. Gentle remove the rolls from the pan to a serving platter or storage container. Try not to break them; they will firm up as they cool down. Serve warm or cold, salting as desired. These are delicious dipped in cold plain yogurt.

*Put all the leftover filling in a pot. Cover with water that comes up twice as high as the rice. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, then simmer for one hour. This makes a delicious seasoned meat & rice side dish.

© Copyright 2006 by Wardeh Harmon.

Would you like to develop a workable, efficient and even fun-to-use pantry? You don’t have to get fancy with store-bought solutions to get your pantry storage in shape. To make your time in the kitchen delightful and efficient, keep these things in mind…

Read more of Creating a Workable Pantry… 

I don’t have many store-bought trinkets or storage aids, with the exception of 2 lazy susans. I use what I have. I collect large containers and jars which come in handy. I admit to having an “extra” supply of jars stored in the barn… anyone need any jars?

Spice & Baking Cupboards. These two cupboards are side by side. I purchase these items in 1 or 5 pound bulk increments. I keep a jar-full of each item handy in these cupboards. The little jars (bottom right) fill up 2 lazy susans for easy access. The bigger jars are stacked up 2 high in some cases. I don’t stuff the cupboards; that way, I have plenty of room to reach in and gain access to something in the back.

Grain & Bean Bucket Storage — Kitchen View. I purchased used food-grade buckets from a local source. Some of my buckets I got at a grocery store in the bakery department (those were free). They are filled with: rolled oats, spelt, kamut, wheat (soft and hard), millet, lentils, garbanzo beans, and pinto beans. I store them under the breakfast bar counter in our kitchen. We don’t use this counter for eating, so it makes a great place for the buckets.The picture that follows shows the bucket storage under the counter as it opens up to the kitchen.

Grain & Bean Bucket Storage — Dining Room View. To hide the buckets from view in the dining room, I made a curtain from a remnant of green fabric I found at the thrift store. It is held up in the recess under the counter by a curtain tension rod. The first picture shows the curtain as it normally is. The second picture shows what it looks like if the curtain is pulled back (which it rarely is).

The dining room view of bucket storage, with the curtain down

The dining room view of bucket storage, with the curtain pulled back

Official Pantry Cupboard. I have one tall cupboard unit containing 4 cupboards to the right of the sink, probably intended for pantry storage. The cupboards are each deep and tall. I probably could use the space much better if I would buy some internal shelving structures, to help me fill up the space higher. But since spending our money on this isn’t a priority, I make do and use the space as best as I can with what I have. The 1st cupboard (not shown) stores infrequently used items like cake-decorating and soap-making supplies. The next cupboard stores canned goods. The 3rd cupboard stores more bulk food items that I don’t purchase in the same quantities as the items which fill the buckets. Finally, the 4th cupboard stores jugs and buckets of oils and vinegars, as well as a big box full of packages of whole wheat pastas.

Canned Goods Cupboard

Bulk Food Items Cupboard


Oils, Vinegars and Pasta Cupboard

A Couple of Other Places for Storage. I have a shelf in the laundry room that holds a 30 pound box of raisins and a 30 pound jug of agave. In my bedroom (which is usually cool year round), I have two boxes of extra spices and baking supplies that eventually will refill the jars in the spice & baking cupboards.

When we first married, Jeff told me how much he loved salads and how he would love to eat salad every day. I’m sorry to admit that I didn’t take him at his word until about five years into our marriage. After repeated encouragements from him and a desire growing in me to provide healthier foods for our family, I started serving salads at every lunch and dinner. Now it has been another five years that we have eaten salad daily. There are perhaps a dozen days a year when we do not have salad. Those days we don’t have it, we miss it.

Our son, Mikah, is looking forward to his 6th birthday. When I asked him what he wanted to eat on his birthday, he said — pancakes for breakfast, grilled cheese sandwiches for lunch, and cabbage salad for dinner. He frequently eats more than one helping of salad. But he is not the only one in our family who loves salad; we all do.

Read more about A Healthy Salad Habit…

Ahh… the aroma of fresh-out-of-the-oven, mouth-watering, whole wheat bread. Not another smell in the world has the same effect on my family. We follow an informal rule that from every fresh batch, one loaf must be consumed right away. Of all the changes we’ve made in the last 4 years to eat more healthily, my family most appreciates and enjoys the shift to homemade whole grain breads.

Did you know bread dough has a personality that varies from day to day, or season to season? Its character depends on the humidity, the weather, the warmth of the kitchen, or the temperature of the ingredients. This changeability can make bread baking challenging, but not impossible. I am thankful for my bread-baking friends who helped me learn to adjust to these factors and still turn out scrumptious whole grain bread.

This tutorial is a basic guide, a starting place, for you to develop your bread baking skills. It follows the recipe for Whole Wheat Bread. Other equipment, such as other brands of grain grinders or mixers, can be used. The bread-making method will be much the same, with the exception of adjustments made for operation of the alternative equipment.

If you are making Whole Wheat-Kamut-Millet Bread, you will have to substitute 1-1/2 cups kamut flour and 1/2 cup millet flour for some of the whole wheat flour added during Step 3.

Equipment

• Vita-Mix with dry container — to grind the flour
• KitchenAid Professional 6-Quart Mixer — for the kneading
• 2 or 3 stainless steel bread loaf pans
• 4-cup measuring cup
• measuring cups and spoons
• plastic or wooden spoon
• plastic wrap

Ingredients

• 6 cups hard white wheat berries
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon SAF yeast
• 4 cups filtered water (not all of it will be used)
• 1/2 cup vital wheat gluten
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon raw agave syrup or raw honey
• 2 teaspoons sea salt
• 1/4 cup poppy seeds
  
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• olive oil spray or additional extra virgin olive oil

1. Grind Whole Grains into Flour

To ensure having enough flour for the Whole Wheat Bread, grind a total of 6 cups of hard white wheat berries. Store in gallon-size freezer bags.

If you are making Whole Wheat-Kamut-Millet Bread, you will have to grind 2 cups of kamut grain and 2 cups of millet grain into flour. Keep them separate. Grind the kamut grain as follows for the whole wheat grain. But since the millet grain is a softer grain, only grind it for 30 seconds.

You will end up with a little remaining flour. Store in the freezer in labeled, sealed freezer bags to use throughout the week for making muffins, pancakes, cookies or other baked goods. Or freeze it for the next time you bake bread — but bring it to room temperature prior to using it.

Put 2 cups of grains at a time in the Vita-Mix dry container.

Grind the wheat berries for 1 minute and 15 to 20 seconds on HIGH.

Transfer flour to a labeled gallon-size freezer bag. Repeat until all grain has been ground into flour.

2. Make the Sponge

Put 3-1/3 cups of whole wheat flour and 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon SAF yeast in the mixer bowl.

Fill a 4-cup measuring cup with 2 cups cold filtered water. Bring about 2 cups filtered water barely to a boil in a pot on the stove. Add 2/3 cup of that to the 4-cup measuring cup and give it a stir.

Pour the now warm water into the mixing bowl with the flour and yeast.

Stir with a wooden or plastic spoon until it is a thick batter.

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set it in a warm place to rise until it is pretty big and bubbly. This should take 15 to 30 minutes, depending on the temperature of the kitchen.

When it is big and bubbly, take off the plastic wrap, put the bowl into the mixer base, and add the dough hook. Raise the bowl and turn mixer on to “Stir” speed for a few seconds to punch down the dough.

3. Knead the Dough

If you are making Whole Wheat-Kamut-Millet Bread, here is where you will have to substitute 1-1/2 cups kamut flour and 1/2 cup millet flour for some of the whole wheat flour added during this step.


Add 1-1/3 cup whole wheat flour, 1/2 cup vital wheat gluten, 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon honey or agave, 2 teaspoons sea salt, 1/4 cup poppy seeds and 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil to the mixing bowl.

Start kneading on “Stir” speed. When mixture looks barely incorporated and while mixer is still kneading, add 1 cup more whole wheat flour, 1/2 cup at a time. Dough should be pulling away from the sides of the bowl.

About now, or when mixer sounds like it is working hard, increase speed to Speed 2 (dough setting). Add 1 to 1-1/2 cups more whole wheat flour, 1/2 cup at a time.

While mixer is kneading and keeping fingers clear of the hook, feel dough. If it is sticky or feels wet, add more whole wheat flour as needed, 1/4 cup at a time. The dough should be springy, but not sticky, and the sides of the bowl pretty clean.

Let it knead for up to 5 minutes longer, or until dough is wrapped around the hook and the hook cannot rotate any longer (it will still be going around the bowl, but not spinning itself).

Turn off the mixer immediately, or you may damage the mixer’s gears. Lower the mixing bowl, release the dough hook from the mixer, pull the mixing bowl out of the mixer base and then pull the dough hook out of the dough.

4. Prepare Warm Oven for First Rise

Move racks of oven to bottom rungs, so that during the First Rise (step 5), the mixing bowl will fit with a few inches of clear space above the bowl. Turn oven on to 400 degrees for 5 minutes. Go on to step 5 while you wait for the 5 minutes to finish. After oven has been on for 5 minutes, turn it off. Open the oven door to let most of the heat escape, until it is warm and cozy, but not uncomfortably hot. Close oven door.

5. Put Dough in Warm Oven for First Rise

While lifting the dough up with one hand, use other hand to spray the base and sides of the bowl with olive oil spray. Rotate the dough around to coat the entire surface of the dough with oil and to make sure the entire surface of the bowl is coated.

Cover bowl with plastic wrap and put it in the gently warm oven for about 30 minutes to an hour, or until it is doubled in size.

It will be swelled to fill the bowl and have risen to the top. Take bowl out of oven and remove plastic wrap. Close oven to retain warmth for Second Rise.

6. Shape Loaves for Second Rise in Warm Oven

Spray 2 large bread loaf pans (for large loaves) or 3 regular bread loaf pans (for regular size loaves) with olive oil spray.

Spray a clean countertop with olive oil spray.

Turn dough out onto the clean and oiled work surface. Punch down dough gently.

Separate the dough into 2 equal parts (for large loaves) or 3 equal parts (for regular loaves).

Shape each portion into a tube shape that is about 7 inches long and 3 inches wide and 2 inches tall (large loaf dimensions). These are the loaves. See Shaping Whole Wheat Bread Loaves for more information.

Put each loaf into a prepared loaf pan. Cut into each loaf 3 times diagonally along the top, about 1/4 inch deep, with a serrated knife.

Place the loaves in the oven and close the oven door.

Let rise for about 30 minutes to an hour, or until the loaves have swelled to fill the pans and come up over the top about a half inch to an inch.

7. Bake Loaves

While loaves are still inside the oven, turn it on to 350 degrees.

Bake loaves for 30 to 35 minutes, until golden brown. The loaves will sound hollow when tapped.

Remove pans from oven and turn off oven. Take loaves out of the pans and let cool on a rack. When they are cooled, put each loaf in a bread bag and secure with a twist tie. Leave 1 loaf out for immediate use and freeze the other(s). Remove frozen loaves from the freezer 4 to 8 hours before needed.

© Copyright 2006 by Wardeh Harmon.