I was staring at them. They were all aligned in front of me staring threateningly back. The air was charged with expectation. Who was going to make the first move? They or I?
“Alright,” I said out loud, “you’ve given me enough trouble already. Every time the bunch of you comes together I shiver.”
They seemed to grin to those words, but the fact that I was facing my fears gave me new confidence. “But I am not going to take it anymore.” I continued. “I am tired of being intimidated by a bunch of simple ingredients. It is time I knead you” That’s how a new adventure with yeast bread started last week.
Although I am not obsessed with eating healthy food, I like to keep my diet balanced. And when it comes to bread, I like my whole wheat bread. So last week I got some King Arthur whole-wheat flour to make my own loaves. I followed the recipe on the back of the package, but I am sure I did something wrong because the bread didn’t rise like the pictures I’ve seen online. I am thinking I didn’t knead enough, or maybe the water was too cold. I guess I will get it right eventually.
The flavor, however, wasn’t bad at all and since I couldn’t use it for sandwiches or paninis like I had planned I decided to use it for applesauce French toast. I like my crazy French toast combinations.
For this recipe you will need:
- 6 thick slices of bread
- 2 eggs
- ¼ cup unsweetened applesauce
- ½ cup milk
- 1 tbsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tbsp vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp salt
Preparation:
- Preheat oven to 350° F.
- In a large bowl mix all the ingredients together (except the bread)
- One by one soak the bread slices and fry both sides on a lightly buttered skillet until it turns light brown.
- Place the slices on a cooking sheet and bake for about 10 minutes. This step cooks the batter in the inside of the bread making it fluffy and light.
- Serve hot with some apple slices and maple syrup and enjoy!
This dish is perfect for a Sunday brunch, or you could try this Blast Berry Brunch with mimosas.
Buen provecho!
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Cynthia
Can’t wait to see what you try next in your quest to conquer yeast!
Ben
The last one was actually pretty good. I kneaded it for a long time and used lukewarm water. It turned out very nice. I will post pictures later.
kellypea
When I made whole wheat bread not too long ago, mine didn’t rise very much either. It was tasty, though. Mine had other ingredients in it, so I need to make some regular whole wheat just to compare. Yes, the water temp and yeast and I are a very cautious relationship. It drives me nuts in recipes when that aspect of the directions differs. I need to do some general reading on the science behind it so I can forge ahead.
The applesauce french toast sounds very nice. Very. We’re big french toast fans around here.
Jess
Hi,
Love your site. Great recipes.
I made 24 loaves of bread a day for a while working in a small cafe. From the picture, your water wasn’t warm enough and the dough didn’t rise enough between risings. It’s hard with wheat bread anyway unless you add some lighter flour to it.
I mix my dry ingredients, make a little well, put the yeast in there (dry) to keep it from prematurely eating the sugar. Then do my wet – eggs, oil, then add hot tap water and whisk. I know everyone says if it is too hot it will kill the yeast, but thousands of loaves I’ve made say hot water works perfectly (not so hot it cooks your eggs, but hot to the touch). Then pour immediately into dry. I use my hands entirely, no spoon. Keep adding flour and kneading in the bowl until dry enough to move onto your well floured counter. Then I knead until it is nice and soft (we used to say “like a baby’s powerdered bottom”). Cover with a warm damp towel and put in a sort of warmish place. Let it rise to double. Take it out and start kneading again, getting it to that nice soft place. Rise to double again. Cut into enough sections for loaves, and move dough carefully into loaf pans so as not to punch it down more.
It took me a very long time to be totally satisfied with my bread. Keep at it. I hope this helps:)