We know that baking bread can fill your home with amazing aromas and that fresh bread out of the oven has a taste like no other, but is homemade bread really better for you? We think it is. As consumers, we have become more health conscious and aware of what we are eating and where it comes from. Many of us are avid label readers and we have come to know the concerns of all of the additives in today’s food. Store bought bread is mass produced and often contains ingredients that are less than desirable. Just take a look at the common ingredients for a store bought white sandwich bread:
Water, Unbleached Flour (Wheat Flour, Malted Barley Flour), Whole Durum Flour, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Bleached Oat Fiber, Wheat Gluten, Sugar, Yeast, Contains Less Than 2% of Each of The Following: White Rye Flour, Calcium Sulfate, Soybean Oil, Salt, Calcium Carbonate, Sodium Stearoyl Lactylate, Calcium Propionate (Preservative), Monoglycerides, Monocalcium Phosphate, Enzymes, Ferrous Sulfate, Azodicarbonamide, Niacin, Ascorbic Acid Added As A Dough Conditioner, Calcium Peroxide, Thiamine Hydrochloride, Riboflavin, Folic Acid, Soy Lecithin.
Compare that to this recipe for a simple homemade white sandwich bread:
Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups warm water
1 Tbsp. active dry yeast
1 Tbsp. sugar
6-6 1/2 cups Swany White flour
https://swanywhiteflour.com/?p=396&preview=true2 tsp. salt
1/4 cup butter, softened
Directions:
1.) Pour 1/2 cup of the water into a bowl and add in the yeast and sugar mix well. Let stand until foamy, this should be about 5 minutes.
2.) Add the rest of the water and about half of the flour and mix until well blended.
3.) Add the remaining flour, salt and butter and mix by hand.
4.) Continue to knead until it’s smooth and has some elasticity.
5.) Shape it into a ball and place it back in the bowl and cover with a small towel for 1 – 1 1/2 hours, until it’s doubled in size.
6.) Prepare two 4″x8″ loaf pans with butter.
7.) Punch the dough down and then pat into a large rectangle, about 9×12″.
8.) Starting with the short side of the dough, fold it in thirds with the seam side down, place in prepared pan and cover again for an hour, until they have risen just over the pan.
9.) Bake for 30-35 minutes, at 375 degrees in the center of the oven until the loaves are nicely browned, be careful not to over bake.
10.) Immediately remove from pans and place on a rack to cool.
If you take the time and plan ahead, you can always have fresh homemade bread.