This post is sponsored by Stonyfield Organic, King Arthur Flour, and Levoons. As always, all opinions are my own.
As the darkest days of the year descend, we turn inward seeking warmth and solace and filling our bellies with the most elemental of foods: stews, braises, and, of course, bread. Is there any food more comforting, more nourishing than homemade bread?
Today’s recipe is for food so simple, so basic, that it is what the British might call “nursery food:” food for children. Bread and butter. But in this season of indulgence and luxury — cocktail parties with puff pastry canapés, celebratory dinners with caviar and oysters, buffets groaning with smoked salmon and roast beef — who doesn’t crave the simple, the homey, the basic?
I would argue that this version of bread and butter is hardly basic. The bread is a tender, yet nutty whole wheat loaf, lightly kissed with honey. So simple, yet so satisfying. I use King Arthur Organic White Whole Wheat Flour because it has all the health benefits of whole wheat with a mild taste and lighter color so my kids don’t suspect that I am serving them something healthy. They love this bread alongside soup, as the basis for a favorite sandwich or just spread lavishly with jam or butter.
Speaking of butter, you didn’t think I would just put any old butter on my homemade whole wheat bread, did you? Perish the thought! Rather, I combine softened butter with a touch of tangy Stonyfield yogurt to create a light, airy spread that perfectly complements the nutty sweetness of honey whole wheat bread.
If the magic of homemade bread has eluded you thus far, I understand. I used to be famously afraid of yeast. But a few tips have helped me overcome my fear. First, yeast should be fresh for best results. Keep your yeast in the refrigerator and pay attention to expiration dates.
Second, you want to make sure that the water you mix with the yeast is the right temperature. Too cold and it will take a long time to rise. Too hot and you will kill the yeast. Experienced bread bakers can rely on their sense of touch to know whether their water is the right temperature. But for the rest of us, an inexpensive thermometer is the way to go.
Another helpful kitchen tool I recently discovered are Levoons from Dreamfarm. They are measuring spoons with handles that squeeze together to scrape off excess ingredients giving a level and accurate measure. These space-saving spoons, snap together for storage, fan out for quick selection and easily pull apart for individual use. What a fun stocking stuffer for the baker in your life!
So, take a break from holiday meals and party food this December and serve your family the simplest, plainest thing you can imagine: bread and butter. Somehow, if its honey whole wheat bread spread with tangy yogurt butter, I don’t think anyone will mind.
Ingredients
- 1 cup warm water (105°-115°F.)
- 1 package (2 1/4 teaspoons) active dry yeast
- 2 TB honey
- 1 1/2 cups King Arthur White Whole Wheat flour
- 1 1/2 cups King Arthur Bread Flour
- 1 TB sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/4 cup oil
- Egg wash (1 large egg white beaten with 1 teaspoon water)
- 1 TB old-fashioned rolled oats (optional)
- 1 cup (8 oz) unsalted butter at room temperature
- 1/3 cup Stonyfield plain yogurt, such as Smooth & Creamy or Grassfed
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Stir together warm water, honey and yeast and let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes.
- In a large bowl stir together whole wheat flour, bread flour, sugar, and salt.
- Add honey and yeast mixture and oil, stirring until combined well.
- Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead dough 10 minutes, or until smooth and elastic, and shape into a ball.
- Transfer dough to a lightly oiled bowl and let rise, covered, in a warm place until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.
- Punch down dough, knead a few times and let rise a second time, covered, for 45 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 400 and grease a loaf pan.
- Lightly knead dough to release any gas and form into an oval. Transfer to pan and proof, covered with a kitchen towel, for 45 minutes.
- Brush top of loaf lightly with egg wash and sprinkle with rolled oats, if desired.
- Bake 10 minutes, then reduce oven temperature to 350 and bake 20 to 25 minutes more, or until golden brown.
- Turn loaf out onto a rack to cool.
- To make yogurt butter, combine butter, yogurt and a pinch of salt in a standing mixer or, if using a hand mixer, a medium-sized bowl.
- Beat the butter with the yogurt at medium speed until well blended and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Drain off any liquid at bottom of bowl.
- Transfer the yogurt butter to a serving bowl.
- Serve bread with yogurt butter on the side.
Full disclosure time: As a member of the Stonyfield Clean Plate Club, I receive a quarterly stiped as well as coupons and other free products from time to time for the purposes of recipe development.
