Sometimes I just get lazy. So here's a bread recipe.

Well tonight I just couldn't bring myself to break out the halibut sitting in the freezer.  I didn't really know what to do with it and I just had this intense desire for sushi. 

Jon indulged me and we tried a restaurant around here that I think is relatively new called Sushi Spott.  It was decent.  The spider roll and california rolls I had were great, but it was kinda pricey.  But I'll be honest, any sushi down here seems ridiculously expensive to me in comparison to sushi prices in Vancouver (BC).  I think it's because sushi is like fast food in Vancouver.  I almost think there are more sushi places than McDonald's in Vancouver.   

Nonetheless, I didn't cook tonight.  But I did make a loaf of bread earlier in the week that I didn't blog about.  So if you're interested in making whole wheat bread that is great for sandwiches read on. 

Buttermilk Whole Wheat Bread (2lb loaf)

adapted from the Cuisinart convection bread maker recipe booklet

1 1/2 cups buttermilk (warm 80-90 degrees)
1 1/4 tsp salt
2 tbsp honey
4 cups whole wheat flour
2tsp vital wheat gluten
2 1/4tsp active dry yeast

If you're using a bread machine, you can just throw all of those ingredients into it in the order listed and set it to the whole wheat setting.  That's what I do.

If you're doing it by hand (or by mixer) I think you'd just have to mix together the yeast and buttermilk first and wait until it's frothy, then mix in the rest of the ingredients and knead it well.  Put it in a greased bowl, cover it with a dish towel and let it rise somewhere warm until it has doubled in bulk, then punch it down, knead it again and let it rise in a greased, covered bowl again.  Then punch down, knead and roll it into a loaf and tuck the ends under and let it rise in a loaf pan (again covered with a dish towel).  Then bake!
From checking other bread recipes I think 35-50 minutes at 350 degrees should do it.
After it's done baking try to get it out of the pan as soon as possible and onto a cooling rack so that it doesn't get a soggy bottom. 

I know that some other recipes only have you let the bread rise twice (the last rise being inside the loaf pan) but I haven't ever tried that since I always use the breadmaker.  I haven't mixed this type of bread without a bread maker since right after Jon and I got married.  Sourdough is another story. 

Unlike most recipes you'll find for whole wheat bread this bread recipe uses completely whole wheat flour. So more fiber!  I've had success with variations  like replacing 1/2cup of the wheat flour with rye flour and adding 1 tbsp caraway seeds for a light rye bread.  The only thing you should really be careful with is the size of the grains on your wheat flour.  I have tried 2 different types and one of my flours was just too heavy because you could still see chunks of wheat berries in there.  It makes for a nice grainy texture in some breads, but loaves don't rise very well with flour that heavy. 

So go ahead and try it!  You'll be making bread without high fructose corn syrup, soybean oil, msg and preservatives!  We love having fresh bread and this is the stuff Jon makes his work lunch with every day.....so it can't be that bad.  If nothing else, the smell of fresh bread in your house is enough motivation to try right?