Monday, February 1, 2010

Soft Whole Wheat

Well, the soft whole wheat bread was a mixed bag for me.  I have to brag a little here though, the dough was made with honey from hives that I tend. The loaf, I think turned out nice, great taste, great texture and was really good toasted with apple butter.




The hamburger buns were a little hard to form, with the dough being so wet, but after a few I got the hang of it. They also had great taste and texture.





Now, the apple strudel bread was quite a challange. I thought that I would have trouble rolling out the dough, but I used my Roul'Pat and enough flour and it rolled out pretty well for me.

I used cameo apples (they were on sale) for the filling. Rolling up the bread was a little difficult but I used a dough scraper to help and got it rolled up pretty nicely I thought. After letting it rest I brushed it with an egg wash and baked it for over an hour.

I suspected something wasn't quite right when I was getting spill over into the oven. The outside crust was great, nice and brown and tasty, but inside it had air pockets and wet spots. I think maybe I should have covered it and let it bake longer. My partner loved the taste of the filling but the dough wet spots were a bit off putting.

Some suggestions were to saute the apples before using them, and maybe using a thermometer to make sure the internal temp is correct. I don't know that I will make the strudel again though.

Now, on to the beet buns! My usual store didn't have any beets, so I think I'm going to have to bite the bullet and head up to Whole Foods.

Thanks for all the help and suggestions. This is turning out to be great fun!

23 comments:

Cathy (Bread Experience) said...

Your bread turned out really nice! No tunnels in your dough. That's so cool that you made it with honey from your beehive.

Guff said...

Bread looks great, and cool to use your own honey. I used Braeburn Apples, and they worked well, I diced them pretty finely. I think that there have been some comments in the discussion group about the best apples to use.

chow and chatter said...

great sandwich bread and wow fresh honey dont worry about the apple bread lol Rebecca

Cristie said...

The loaf is beautiful- the color is perfect, as is the shape. Can't wait to see what you'll do with the beet buns!

Michelle said...

I think the filling recipe was too large for the bread. Maybe just using half a filling recipe would have worked out better. Also if the apple was in large pieces this too could cause a problem.

But your loaf of bread and buns turned out great! Love it that you used your own honey. I want my own bees!

SavoringTime in the Kitchen said...

Your own honey must have tasted so good in this bread! Your loaf turned out beautifully!

Bonnie said...

Wow, fresh honey. You get extra points for that, and the buns are beautiful.

Petra said...

great looking loaf. I am with you on the apple bread, i don't think i will make it again either. Well, actually I know I won't

Joanne said...

I definitely got air spots in my strudel but no moist spots. I wonder what happened.

The fresh honey sounds amazing! I could use some of THAT. And those buns look great.

Heather B said...

Your bread looks delicious! Great job!

Kim said...

It must be really cool to have your very own honey! Your loaf and hamburger buns look great.

Elwood said...

Thanks for all the comments. Having beehives is a very rewarding experience. We're hoping to go from 3 hives to 5 this year.

Raelyn said...

Great job! I love that you have your own honey too.

Aparna Balasubramanian said...

Your own honey? Wow! No wonder your bread tasted extra good.

teresa said...

great job! i never made the apple strudel bread, so good for you! i'm excited about the beet buns too!

Judy's Bakery & Test Kitchen said...

Beautiful breads! WOW, your own honey!

Judy's Bakery & Test Kitchen said...

Forgot to ask. What is a Roul'Pat?

Elwood said...

Judy, a Roul'Pat is a large silicone mat that is great for rolling out dough on, nothing sticks! :)

Jenny said...

My daughter has been researching honey bees and would like to have some of her own at some point. It would be great to have your own honey to use. Really neat!
~Jenny~

Elwood said...

Jenny, the bees are a great and interesting hobby. They will always keep you humble. :)

Anonymous said...

I think it's so cool that you made the bread with your own honey - talk about homemade. The loaf was just beautiful.

JV said...

Really retired this time? Last I heard you were back to work after retirement.

Elwood said...

JV:
Yep, really retired this time. :)

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