Clean Eating Bread

by The Gracious Pantry on February 4, 2010

If you haven’t read the book Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day: 100 New Recipes Featuring Whole Grains, Fruits, Vegetables, and Gluten-Free Ingredients, put it on your “to-read” list. I did. I can’t wait to buy it. I peruse it every time I’m in the book store. In fact, I could almost say I’ve read the whole book already!

I was so excited when the authors shared this video with a base recipe I could try before I bought the book.

The only thing I didn’t like was the use of white flour. In my Clean Eating plan, I’m not allowing any white flour at all. So I had to adapt this a little. And you know what? It worked!

All I did was follow their recipe exactly, but I substituted the white flour for whole wheat pastry flour (which is the only kind of whole wheat flour I ever use.). It turned out great!

I should mention that by substituting the flour, I was not able to get four loaves of bread out of the recipe as they show in the video. I was only able to make two loaves. But I’m okay with that! The bread turned out far more dense then what they show, but it’s really tasty.

I topped the first loaf with sesame seeds and added Italian spice and sun-dried tomatoes to the bread by “sandwiching” them between to layers of dough on the second loaf. (You’re not supposed to knead the dough, so I improvised.)

Watch the video for the recipe. It’s very good bread, and only has three ingredients! You can’t get much cleaner than that.

Eat and Enjoy!

You can find the book at Amazon.com here:
Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day: 100 New Recipes Featuring Whole Grains, Fruits, Vegetables, and Gluten-Free Ingredients

Sallie

I’ve been looking for something exactly like this. Thanks for the awesome post! Love the site!
http://www.thegraciouspantry.com The Gracious Pantry

Thanks Sallie! Enjoy the bread!
Leigh

This looks fantastic, I’m trying it tonight. I don’t have a pizza stone, do you think it will come out okay?
http://www.thegraciouspantry.com The Gracious Pantry

Hi Leigh,

I don’t have one either. I put mine on a cookie sheet with parchment paper. It should be fine.

Let me know how it turns out for you!

Tiffany
Leigh

The bread is fantastic. So simple and good that I had to order the book.
http://www.thegraciouspantry.com The Gracious Pantry

Fantastic! So glad you enjoyed it!

Have a great weekend!
http://foodjunkiefromtexas.blogspot.com/ Daphne

Check out the HB in 5 group that is baking their way through the book. It has been a lot of fun so far. I had never baked bread before and now I feel pretty confident about it. http://bigblackdogs.net/hbinfive/
http://www.thegraciouspantry.com The Gracious Pantry

Daphne – I will! Sounds like a blast. Thanks for sharing!
Leigh

I have to say that the master recipe is the only one I really like, so far. I made the soft sandwich bread, I think it’s called. The one they recommend for hamburger buns and it is so dense. I will continue to try them, though. I’ll check out the group.
Jodi

I bought the book, too. I made the 100% whole wheat dough. First I made a rustic boule. Then I made burger buns. Next I made 3 different filled loaves for a party: Rolled into long rectangles, cut slits across half of each one and filled them with: spinach, feta and roasted red peppers (lazy me-from a jar); thinly sliced ham and cheddar; bacon, carmelized onions and mushrooms (ok, not so clean). Then folded the slit sides over the other sides and pressed the edges with a little water to help it stick. Rested the breads about 40 minutes and baked them about 25 minutes. They were beautiful with the fillings peeking out of the slits. Very much enjoyed by all.On the 14th day I used up the last of the dough in a long loaf , brushed the top with egg white and water and sprinkled it with sesame, poppy, chia and hemp seeds. I love bread too much!
http://www.thegraciouspantry.com The Gracious Pantry

Jodi – Lazy you?????? You’re a bread making machine!!! I would hardly call you lazy!
Totally get what you mean about the love of bread. There’s just nothing else that compares.
Jodi

I meant lazy because I didn’t roast the peppers. I baked all that bread over 2 weeks.
I need to figure out how to make bread with sprouted grains and no flour-like Ezekial 4:9 bread. It’s the only bread I’ve found that doesn’t raise my blood sugar too much. (flour=lots of surface area for digestive juices to work on so it breaks down into sugars much faster than the intact whole grain) . Just found that out from Dr. Weil.
I don’t have much of a sweet tooth. I can be satisfied with a small bite or spoonful and savor it for a long time. But bread, oh my goodness! A really good bread is nigh impossible for me to leave alone.
http://www.thegraciouspantry.com The Gracious Pantry

Jodi – I feel your pain. Bread is so hard to resist! Especially if it’s a good bread.
That’s really interesting about the flour. I’ll have to see if I can try a bread with sprouted gains myself.
Stephanie

Tried this for the first time today. It’s fantastic!! Thanks for the tip
http://www.thegraciouspantry.com The Gracious Pantry

Fabulous! So glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for letting me know!
Jen

So I’ve been looking for a fluffy whole wheat bread recipe…I like a dense bread sometimes, but for most things we use bread for, we prefer it to be a little more light and fluffy (closer to store bought bread). Is this recipe pretty dense? If so, have any recommendations for a fluffy bread??
http://www.thegraciouspantry.com The Gracious Pantry

Jen – This bread is a bit more on the dense side. I’ll have to see if I can find something less dense. Nothing comes to mind at the moment.
Lisa D.

I am not very good in the kitchen, however, reading your blog and watching this video you posted has inspired me to attempt to make this bread. Am excited to go to the store tonight for the ingredients and will turn this into a fun Friday adventure. Thank you!
http://www.thegraciouspantry.com The Gracious Pantry

Lisa – That’s how every day in the kitchen should be! Something you look forward to and enjoy. Being in the kitchen IS fun! Enjoy!
Jodi

Jen-try using 100% white whole wheat flour (It’s white wheat as opposed to red wheat) More gluten from all purpose or especially bread flour will make for stronger structure and allow a better rise, hence lighter loaves. I used white whole wheat to make the whole wheat dough from the book. It worked very well. Everybody liked it-even folks who don’t usually eat whole grain breads.
helen

where do you get the vital wheat gluten, is it just the bob’s red mill stuff? also, aren’t there like 5 ingredients (flours, salt, yeast, gluten, water)? i guess maybe water doesn’t count. this looks really good though, I’m interested in the book for sure. fun post!
http://www.thegraciouspantry.com The Gracious Pantry

Helen – I got mine in the bulk section of a San Francisco health food store called Rainbow Grocery. (Fabulous place!) But I’m pretty sure you could get it at just about any health food store. You may want to call around first.

As for the ingredients, I just followed the original recipe and made my adaptations.
Sarah

Loved this bread. For the topping I put dried garlic and onion, poppy seeds, sunflower seeds, and sesame seeds. I think this will be a staple around my house, thanks!
http://www.thegraciouspantry.com The Gracious Pantry

Sarah – Fantastic! What a great topping combination!
Linda

I am planning to make this bread for the first time this weekend, but I’m just wondering – do you think it would affect the dough too much if I incorporated sunflower seeds and flax in with the flour? I like seeds in my bread

By the way, Tiffany, I love your website! My husband and I just started clean eating last week (and are loving it!), and your site has been our favorite resource so far. I’ve already made your lemon muffins and clean eating ketchup. Both are great! Thanks for sharing and keep up the great work!
http://www.thegraciouspantry.com The Gracious Pantry

Linda – As long as the seeds are whole (no ground flax), it will be just fine. But I would knead them in just prior to baking.
I’m so happy you’re enjoying my site! Love those lemon muffins!!
Janet

I really want to try making this bread. Yesterday I went to my local health food store and they only have the packets of dry active yeast that I have always used for baking and yeast flakes not granulated yeast. Which one do you think I should I buy?
http://www.thegraciouspantry.com The Gracious Pantry

Janet – Active dry yeast should work just fine.
Anonymous

Beccaod – Yes! Let me know how you like it! To the best of my knowledge, yes. The gluten is clean.
Rebecca_Vance

Okay, I’m getting frustrated!! Ugh! I’ve made this bread probably ten or eleven times…I’ve tried using all whole wheat flour…can’t find whole wheat pastry flour anywhere around here…but EVERYTIME I have made this, I can’t put it in the fridge for any length of time cause it goes completely flat, and won’t rise at all then. Also, when I try to form it it’s SOOOOOO wet!!! I can barely form it cause it sticks to my hand so bad…any suggestions???? I’ve watched that video more time than I can even remember and don’t have a clue what I’m doing wrong!! I even used the white flour like they did once just to see if that was it…same result!!
Anonymous

Rebecca – If you’ve tried it both my way and the video way, then there is something going wrong in the actual making of it. I believe their web site has some trouble shooting help. It’s just odd that it would happen the same way no matter what you change. Might be a altitude thing or a temperature thing or even a yeast thing. I’m not sure. I would contact them though. They would be able to help you better than I can. So sorry!
Rebecca_Vance

Okay…maybe figuring something out here…my hubby says that it IS VERY humid in our house…may account for the “too wet” thing…but I just remembered you saying you only got about half the # of loaves as them…okay, duh me!!!! I “halved” the recipe, so if I may only get half to begin with, then I should be making one loaf…not dividing it, that would help with size. ALSO, it actually didn’t do most of it’s rising til in the oven, and though I didn’t think it looked pretty…the fam LOVED it!!!! My hubby is nuts about it!!! I still can’t find whole wheat pastry flour around here anywhere though. (which may be why it’s “extra dense”??) Appreciate your site SO MUCH!!! I’m new to this and have been posting on fb when I’m making stuff and sharing your site a lot!!
Anonymous

Rebecca – Thanks for sharing my site! It sounds like you have it all figured out. All of those components would certainly explain what was happening. And yes, that’s why your bread is more dense. The flour makes a difference. Try ordering your flour through amazon.com. They make it pretty easy. Look for the Bob’s Redmill brand. Good stuff!
Anonymous

Cajunlady – That is correct. Just as you have it typed here.
Anonymous

Cajunlady – You’re welcome!!!
Liz4fitness

I made this bread today and it came out ok. The taste wasn’t as great as I was hoping. I did the 5 1/2 cups whole wheat and 2 cups pastry. The bread looks great but the bottom of my loaves stuck to my paper. Any ideas on how to get it NOT to stick? I had to cut off the bottom of every loaf I LOVE the site!!!
Anonymous

Liz – Any change in the recipe could account for the sticking. I’ve never had that happen so I’m not positive. You could try oiling the paper first…
Anonymous

Holly – That’s fantastic! I keep meaning to buy that book and somehow, it always slips by when I have the chance. Some day….
Anonymous

Liz – Wonderful! Thank you so much!
Moxie1

Have you ever tried making the dough and freezing it so that you can bake it when you need some? I’m just wondering if that would work?
Anonymous

Moxie – No, I have not. Not sure how the yeast would hold up either.
Cindy M

just curious, what is it that “feeds” the yeast? is it the vital wheat gluten? I have made some bread before, always had to add some honey or “fuel” for the yeast….will be making this looks yummy (and easy), need to get the vital wheat gluten I guess….do not have that. /
Anonymous

Cindy – I don’t know a lot about bread baking, so I’m not sure in this case. But I do know the recipe works great!
Anonymous

Vicki – I used 5 1/2 cups whole wheat flour and 2 cups whole wheat pastry flour.
Anonymous

Mireille – Wonderful! Let me know what works for you. I’m sure others would enjoy the tips. Thanks!
Anonymous

Mireille – I’m sure it would work. Enjoy!
Anonymous

Yvette – No, rice flour doesn’t have the gluten that wheat flour does. Gluten free baking is a whole other animal. I haven’t ventured down that path yet. Sorry, I wish I could be more help. But there are two blogs that I know are excellent. Elanas (sp?) Pantry and The Gluten Free Goddess. Give them a try. Both are fabulous gluten free resources.
Anonymous

Miranda – What kind of flour did you use?