Honey wheat berry Bread

I loved this bread.

Warning : It is a little labor intensive.

First you have to have wheat berries. This means you take whole wheat kernals and boil them for a long time until they are soft and popping open.

Here is exactly how -- take 3/4 cup wheat and 3 cups of water in a medium sauce pan. Let soak for an hour (or overnight) and then cook covered on medium heat until the wheat berries are soft a popping open. (this seemed to me to take almost an hour). Then you need to decide how "chunky" you want your bread to be. I opted for the NOT chunky approach. So I took my wheat berries and blended them in a blender until I had wheat berry soup. (which means that the next time I make this I am starting with cracked wheat, I am not letting it sit in water for an hour and I will cook it for only 15 minutes and then blend it)

Now, the fun begins!

In a mixing bowl (kitchenaid worked ok, bosch would have been better!) combine the following.

your wheat berry blend
3/4 cup milk
1 Tbs yeast
1 cup whole wheat flour

Mix well and set in a warm spot until bubbly! (20-30 minutes)

Then,
Add 1/4 cup softened butter
1/4 cup honey
5 1/2 cups flour (the recipe called for bread flour, but I only had all purpose -- it turned out fine)
Mix until you have a shaggy mass.

Continue to add flour one Tbs at a time until the dough won't take anymore

Cover and rest for 20 minutes

Then add 1 Tbs salt and mix on medium for 5 minutes (add flour if you need to until the dough is smooth)

Turn the dough onto a light floured counter and divide in half. Shape into loaves and place in 2 greased loaf pans. I needed bigger loaf pans, or I needed 3 of this size. Let rise until doubled. Bake at 375 for 45 minutes or until golden brown. Turn out onto cooling racks for at least an hour (or until you can touch it without burning if you want to eat it right away!)

The Only reason I have a bread machine

• I love my bread machine. I have never made bread in my bread machine. I only use it for roll dough, but I probably use it 2-3 times each week. I always use the same recipe and it never fails me. So go find a bread machine with a dough cycle (i saw several on EBAy for less than 15 bucks including shipping) or get out your own bread machine that you NEVER use. And remember, rolls make the meal. It doesn't matter what else you serve for dinner, if you have homemade rolls that is all anyone will talk about. The cast of characters:
  
• 1 egg plus enough water to make 1 1/3 cups
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup oil
• 1 tsp salt
• 4 cups flour (often I use 3 cups all purpose and 1 cup whole wheat)
• 1 Tbs yeast

Add them to the bread machine in that order

Hint : Crack the egg into the measuring cup and then add the water until you reach 1 1/3 cup. Now, press the dough cycle, hit start and wait til it beeps. Then it will look like this.
Isn't it beautiful. Spray a baking sheet with non-stick spray and shape your rolls and place them on the baking sheet. (I almost always stick with round balls, but you can get creative.)
It makes somewhere between 18 and 24 rolls depending on the size.

They can rise for another hour or 2 before you bake them. If you are in a hurry (which I always am) you can let them rise for 30 minutes and then place them in your oven (which has not been turned on yet) and then turn the oven on. As the ovens temperature rises, they finish rising.

Bake at 350 for 12 minutes or so.

Option #1 : Make your own "Rhodes rolls" -- Sometimes I make the dough and shape it and put them close together in a 9 x 13 pan and stick them straight in the freezer. After several hours, I transfer them all to a ziplock bag in the freezer. Now they are ready to go whenever you need them. On a Sunday morning place the frozen balls on a baking sheet, go to church and when you come home pop them in the oven! (they need about 4-5 hours to unthaw and rise)

Option #2 : Have them nearly ready. Make them, shape them, let them rise and bake them for 6-7 minutes. Then let them cool and 5 minutes before you want to serve put them in the oven to brown. I also have frozen them at this stage. (like the one time I was in charge of a women's conference luncheon. I think I did 10 batches and had them in the freezer nearly done, then the morning of the conference we browned them at the church and served, fresh homemade rolls -- but all the hard work had been done nearly a month before!)

Option # 3: Use the dough for cinnamon rolls. Make the dough and when it comes out of the machine divide it in half. Roll out each half flat. I then take a butter spread and spread a thin layer of it on the dough using a spatula. (no measurement for how much -- just enough to thinly coat it. Then grab a handful of brown sugar and crumple it on top. Then sprinkle with cinnamon. Using a pizza cutter, cut it into thin strips and roll them up and place them in a 9 x 13 pan. Let them rise. (At this point, you can freeze the whole pan -- and it is ready for a breakfast morning) Bake at 350 for 8-12 minutes. In a small bowl take powdered sugar and add a teeny amount of milk. Stir and adjust to the right consistency and drizzle over the top to serve!