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a homeschooling mom of four who used to blog about food, has a book about sourdough, and who is now walking through the grief of losing my dad.
Hi, I'm Kels!

The Best Sourdough Glazed Donuts

When I was 20 weeks pregnant with my last baby I graduated college to receive my Bachelor’s degree. It was a major accomplishment that I’d worked hard for. As a graduation present, my parents gave me a check (the best kind of present). I was shocked! My motherly instincts began thinking about things to buy (groceries, diapers, wipes, paying bills, etc). Then I realized that I had worked my rear end off to get that degree, and I deserved to buy something for MYSELF. It didn’t take me long to decide where my “fun” part of the money would go:

I grew up using my mom’s Bosch for everything. She made bread, I made cookies/cakes/brownies. After I got married, I became acquainted with hand mixers. They did the job, and I made bread by hand, but not consistently. I just couldn’t ever get it how I wanted. When I finally got my Bosch, I was in heaven. Since then (3 years ago) I haven’t purchased bread from the store. I’ve bought bagels on occasion, but that’s it. I love my Bosch and don’t know what I’d do without it. I tested out several recipes before landing on my favorite, which came from my sister-in-law. I make bread and buns/rolls every week and a half or so, depending on the weather and our consumption rate! The instructions are for a Bosch, but if you have a kitchen aide or other free standing mixer, that will work too.

Honey Whole Wheat Bread

3 c. warm water
2 T. active dry yeast
2/3 c. raw honey
1 c. unsweetened apple sauce
1 T. natural salt
9-10 c. whole wheat bread flour

Put warm water in Bosch. Sprinkle yeast on top and cover for about 10 minutes, or until yeast activates (becomes bubbly). Add honey, applesauce, and 5 c. flour. Mix on speed number 2 (or low) until it becomes a thick paste. Add salt. Mix just until combined and let sit for 5 minutes. Begin adding flour while mixing on speed number 4 (or high). Add a cup at a time, until the dough begins to leave the sides of the bowl. Knead on 4 (or high) speed for 10 minutes.

Form loaves and place in greased pans and cover with a clean dish towel to rise. I also make some of mine into buns/rolls, because my girls love them. Let rise for 30-45 minutes in a warm place. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. I like to just place my bread/buns on top of the oven while it’s preheating. It keeps them nice and warm.

Makes 3 loaves, or 2 loaves and 1 dozen buns/rolls (each “loaf” size makes 1 dozen buns).

Bake bread for 28-35 minutes. If it begins to brown too quickly, cover lightly with foil and continue baking. Bake buns/rolls for 18 minutes (or until golden brown on top).

Remove from pans onto cooling racks.

Tip: Eat a roll fresh out of the oven, slathered in butter and homemade raspberry jam!

Thoughts:

Making bread can be intimidating. When I started making bread, I was terrified that the yeast wasn’t bubbling enough and the dough wouldn’t rise. Sometimes it looks really frothy, and other times it doesn’t. But it always raises in the end so I’ve learned not to stress about it. Make sure that the water temperature isn’t too hot. If you wouldn’t wash your face with it, it’s too hot. But you don’t want it cold, either. Just a comfortable to touch, really warm temperature. I’m super technical, I know. Other than the yeast, I think it’s pretty straight-forward. We love this bread around our house (maybe a little too much). I often experiment with other recipes, but for our every day sandwiches and toast, this is our bread. One day I’ll have my own wheat grinder, but until then I buy my flour from Canada. I’ve tried whole wheat bread flour in the States and just can’t find a brand that I love. I would ideally like to grind my own, but have too many “gadgets” on my wish list as it is!

 

Comments +

  1. soooo possibly a dumb question, but what is dough enhancer and where do i find it, as well as vital glutton??

  2. kelsey, my mom found a SUPER nice wheat grinder at a garage sale! it needed one 25 dollar part, so she got it and gave it to me for my birthday! and my life has never been the same!!! you'll never buy anything wheat – related again!

  3. kelsey says:

    Janna- I'm pretty sure Nutter's in Lethbridge will have both items, but you don't HAVE to use them. They help make wheat bread less dense, and turn out really good!

    Brittany- AH. I'm jealous. I should start garage-saling more I guess (or should start, period). That's awesome.

  4. The recipe I've been using uses lemon juice as a dough enhancer (in addition to gluten). Not sure about ratios, etc., but maybe worth researching if you can't find dough enhancer. This looks really yummy! Maybe when my house isn't so infernally hot, I'll try it!

  5. Lacey says:

    I've been really wanting to make some homemade bread lately, or when it cools down. Thanks for the recipe, I'll be sure to try it asap!

  6. going to try this one…
    always on the lookout for healthy bread recipes.

  7. Mandy says:

    I am making this right now and I have a wheat grinder so I am grinding my own flour. I need a good wheat bread recipe since mine never turn out nice and soft. I am loving your blog and have been reading through it like a book. Thanks:-)

  8. AKutarna says:

    I've been meaning to try this one for a while now and I'm so happy I finally did! I love that you don't have to let it rise twice! I literally just ate half a loaf to myself. Thanks for the recipe!

  9. AKutarna says:

    I have been meaning to make this one for a while now and I'm so glad I did! I love that you don't have to let it rise twice! So delicious. I promise I just ate half a loaf to myself. Thanks for the recipe!

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about me

Hey, I'm Kels!

a homeschooling mom of four who used to blog about food, has a book about sourdough, and who is now walking through the grief of losing my dad.

I have lots of recipes and resources, but now it's just about me being real, walking through the messy and beautiful parts of life.

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