Homemade Delicious Bread

For my birthday about 10 years ago I would've been thrilled with getting a pair of boots, gift certificates to my favorite clothing store, or something along those lines. Is it because I'm in my 30's, or perhaps because I'm on this new journey about living the healthiest lifestyle I asked for kitchen products for my birthday.  I was hoping for a Green dutch oven from my parents, and a grain mill from my hubby. Of course I got made fun of, by my wonderful parents, who think I'll want a butter churn for christmas. My reply to them was "I don't need a butter churn, my kitchenaid mixer makes butter just fine." I don't think I'll be stopping their teasing much with that comment, but I'll ensure I don't receive a butter churn for Christmas.

The grain mill arrived in the mail the day after Thanksgiving. I couldn't wait to try it. The only downside: I know nothing about wheat, what kind to buy, where to buy, how much to buy, where to store it, how long it lasts, once ground how long will it last. I had a slew of questions and not sure where to start. Sarah Jones from Bread of life bakery was a HUGE help. I messaged her with many questions. I was ready to buy a six gallon bucket of wheat. She recommended buying 3-5 pounds of three different kinds of the main wheats to start. Here's what I've learned so far.

• Hard wheats are good for breads.
• Soft wheats are good for pastries.
• I realized I've never seen wheat before it was ground up. It looks kind of like rice to me. 
• I can grind corn, rice, oats for different types of grain
• buying the grain whole is cheaper than buying flour
• Whole grain can last 40-60 years, if kept in a sealed container

So I bought five pounds of each:

• Red hard wheat
• White hard wheat
• White soft wheat

I love the grain mill. It attaches right to my KitchenAid KSM75WH Classic Tilt-Head Stand Mixer (Google Affiliate Ad). I placed a bowl underneath it to catch the flour. I placed the white hard grain in the top and turn on the mixer. It took about 6-10 minutes to grind three cups of flour. While it was grinding I grabbed all my ingredients for the bread maker. I have to say I've made bread by hand, and I've used the bread maker. What a lifesaver a bread maker can be! There's so much kneading, and rising that I pop all the ingredients inside the maker and in 3 hours I have fresh bread, my house smells like bread and it's beyond delicious with some honey on it. 

3 cups of beautiful whole grain flour. 

There's my hardworking bread maker (thanks to a dear friend who gave it to me! Such a blessing). On the right is the 1st loaf of white bread I made. I made the mistake of opening the bread maker while it baking and the top of the bread sunk in. It didn't rise all the way. 

So why am I interested in grinding my own wheat and baking my own bread? A couple reasons:

• I'm always looking to save money
• I want to provide the healthiest food for my family. Store bought breads have so many ingredients in them, that I can't even pronounce. If I make it myself, I know exactly what 5-10 ingredients I'm putting in the bread. I can pronounce my ingredients.
• Flour bought at the store has been sitting on the shelf, for who knows how long
• If I buy organic bread, it can be expensive.
• The choice to use a bread maker is to make it easier, quicker, and less work.