In the Beginning, There Was Bread.

Hi there, my name is Maura. I love to cook, and I love to eat. While I've always been into food, being unemployed for six months helped me discover my inner cook (well, forced me to: my lack of paychecks translated to many a homecooked meal).

I left my Manhattan apartment for Brooklyn's greener (cheaper) pastures in April. Since then, I've been floored by the incredible food offerings in my neighborhood. While this blog won't be entirely Brooklyn specific, it's definitely going to focus on all the great food here - some of which, hopefully, I will make myself.

I decided to add the Bread & Butter to my blog's name because in my mind, there's no food more perfect than bread and butter. I've been known to eat an entire baguette with butter in one sitting, blissfully and without apology.

My love affair with bread began when I was eleven, during a summer in France. The baguettes were perfect: crusty on the outside and soft and airy inside. Wonderful with butter and jam but equally delicious plain or dunked in cafe au lait. I traveled to France with my aunt, a remarkable cook whose whole wheat bread recipe is featured below. I have always been fascinated with the magic my aunt creates in her kitchen. In that small room on the lower east side, the woman caters, tests recipes and cooks a Passover Seder for 20 people each year WITHOUT A DISHWASHER. She taught me to love food, and to make food with love.

There's something to be said for making your own bread. It's kind of like a lost art. It's pretty easy to buy decent bread (I'm within walking distance of Sahadi's and Mazzola's Bakery, which both have fantastic bread) and admittedly, baking bread requires a lot of patience. There's the kneading and the waiting, the waiting and the kneading. There are living organisms to consider. Still, there's nothing like the smell of fresh-baked bread. And people are consistently impressed with bread you've baked yourself.

This is my aunt's whole wheat bread recipe. It couldn't be easier to make, and it's completely delicious and versatile. I love it with butter (obviously), cream cheese or jam. It's also great for sandwiches.

© Lynn Kutner

Whole Wheat Bread Yield: Two 9"x5" loaves

This recipe for whole wheat bread follows the format of the white bread recipe. Within the six-cup flour allowance, feel free to vary the proportion of whole wheat flour to white. My measurements are four cups whole wheat and two cups white, which gives you 66 2/3 percent whole wheat bread. The reason I use white flour at all is that it is much easier to knead with than whole wheat. For a very lightweight whole wheat bread, use only one or two cups of whole wheat flour.



1 ounce fresh yeast or 2 packages dry yeast, proofed

1/4 cup cold tap water

1/4 cup unsulphured molasses or honey

1 tablespoon salt

2 cups liquid: milk, water, soy milk, or buttermilk (add 1/4 cup water with buttermilk because it is thick)

4 cups stone-ground whole wheat flour

1/4 cup melted and cooled sweet butter or (sunflower) oil

2 cups bread flour or unbleached all-purpose flour

1.Dissolve yeast in 1/4 cup water in a large bowl. Let stand 5 minutes.

(For dry yeast, add 1 teaspoon of sugar. Should foam in 5-10 minutes.)



2.Mix in molasses or honey. Then mix in milk. Use wire whisk.



3.Mix in 2 cups whole wheat flour, 1 cup at a time. Beat well with whisk. Now beat in salt.



4.Scrape in melted butter with a rubber spatula (or add oil). Mix well.



5.Switch from whisk to wooden spoon. Add the rest of the whole wheat flour. Beat well.



6.Beat in 1 cup of the white flour and turn dough out onto floured cloth.



7.Knead well, using what is necessary of the last cup of white flour.



8.Allow dough to rise in an oiled bowl covered with a cloth or plastic wrap. You may also allow it to rise in a floured bowl covered a damp cloth or plastic wrap. Dough will double in about 1 hour at room temperature.



9.Punch the dough down, (knead), and allow a second rise in the bowl.



10.Punch the dough down, knead, allow to rest if necessary, and shape your loaves. Place in greased and floured pans. Allow dough to double before baking.



11.Preheat oven to 350°, rack set on lowest rung. If desired, glaze the risen breads with butter or corn starch glaze (1 teaspoon corn starch cooked for 2 minutes in 2/3 cup water--cool before using).



12.Bake 30-40 minutes until toothpick in fattest part of loaf comes out bone dry. Immediately remove from pans. Cool on racks 2-3 hours.