Daily Bread

I have a romantic attachment for the idea of the "daily bread" - a healthy, relatively easy bread to make regulary for the supper table. There is really nothing to beat fresh bread, it touches all the senses and welcomes you to the dinner table. How wonderful with a hearty soup . Maybe with some cheese on the side. I played with several of the bread machine recipes without much success. They lacked body and were all pretty bland. I asked Lisa for suggestions and she gave me this recipe. It is one she adapted herself from a sponge-starter Challah recipe from "A Treasury of Jewish Baking". The sponge-starter adds that extra body that the breadmaker lacks and is worth the extra time. Lisa makes challah, sandwich bread and rolls with it. I have made it several times in all these variations and it is, as Goldilocks once said, "just right."

This week I made the recipe as rolls, served them with a vegetable lentil soup and my romantic vision was realized :)

Here is my slightly adapted version for smaller batches:

Ingredients:

Sponge Starter: (make at least 30 minutes ahead)

3/4 cup warm water
1 tablespoon instant yeast
1 cup whole wheat flour

Dough:
All of the starter
1/4 cup warm water
1/4 cup sugar
2 tsp salt
2 eggs at room temperature
1/4 cip canola oil
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/2 cup bread flour
wheat germ to sprinkle on top


Directions:
Sponge:
- In a large bowl (or kitchen -aid bowl) mix yeast, and water until dissolved, then add flour and mix again
- Cover with plastic wrap and then a clean tea towel and let it sit for 30 minutes in a warm place

Dough:
- Stir down the sponge
- Add the water, sugar, salt, oil, eggs, and flour
- Mix in the flour with the paddle attachment of the mixer or with a spoon for about 30 seconds
- Change to the dough hook (or by hand) knead for about 10 minutes.
- Shape the dough into a ball and place in a well greased bowl
- Cover with plastic wrap and tea towel and place in a warm place for 45 - 90 minutes to let it rise to about double in size (or overnight in the refrigerator)
- Gently deflate the dough.
- Shape into rolls or challah and place on cookie sheet lined with parchment paper or if you want sandwich bread, shape into a loaf and place in a loaf pan.
- Allow to rise for at least 45 minutes more (until doubled)
- Heat oven to 350 degrees
-For rolls or loaf bread, sprinkle with wheat germ. For challah you can do an egg wash
- Bake for about 30 minutes until golden brown