Looking for a different kind of bread I found one that called for dried apples. I anticipated modifying the recipe using a fresh apple instead, but found none at home. However I found applesauce with cinnamon in convenient four ounce cups. Preferring honey over sugar, I made a few other emendations to the original recipe yielding the following.
| Ingredients | 1½ Pound Loaf in Bread Machine | 2 loaves By hand 1½ pound each |
|---|---|---|
| Active Dry Yeast | NA | 1 envelope (2 ¼ tsp) |
| Warm Water (115°F) | NA | ¼ cup |
| Honey | NA | 1 Tbsp |
| Applesauce with Cinnamon | 4 oz | 8 oz |
| Warm Water | ½ cup + 2 Tbsp | 1 cup |
| Butter, softened | 1 Tbsp | 2 Tbsp |
| Salt | ¾ tsp | 1 ½ tsp |
| Honey | 2 Tbsp | 3 Tbsp |
| Cornmeal | 2 Tbsp | ¼ cup |
| Whole Wheat Flour | ½ cup | 1 cup |
| Dark Rye Flour | ½ cup | 1 cup |
| Gluten | 1 Tbsp | 2 Tbsp |
| Bread Flour | 1 ½ cup | 3 cups |
| Bread Machine Yeast | ½ Tbsp | NA |
Bread Machine
Set your bread machine for Basic/White, 1 lb, Light Crust.
Hand Mixing
Following the failure of our bread machine and needing to provide a recipe for someone without a mixer, I learned to make bread entirely by hand. Considering the effort needed to lug the mixer/bread machine from the closet and return it afterwards, the effort required for hand mixing is reasonable. Plus the heavy duty whisk easily fits in our Travel Trailer.
The effort to make bread by hand favors making two loaves at the same time and freezing one loaf for later.
Dissolve yeast in 1 tablespoon of honey in ¼ cup of warm water. The mixture should have a temperature of 115°F. If the water is too hot, the yeast will die. Too cold and it will not foam. If the yeast is good and the water just right, the mixture will begin to foam within 5 minutes.- Whisk apple sauce, salt, butter, and 1 cup of warm water into the proofed yeast. I add the warm water last to keep from over heating the yeast.
Whisk while adding cornmeal, whole wheat flour, gluten, rye flour, and half of the bread flour. Bread flour has a higher protein level than all purpose flour. Gluten enriches the protein for the whole wheat and rye flours. Protein helps form the bubbles in the bread.
Spread about 1/3 of remaining bread flour (½ cup) on a board then scrape the dough onto top of the dry flour. Knead the dough into the dry flour adding bread flour until all of it is mixed in. Dough should form a smooth ball, damp on the outside, without sticking to the board.
Transfer the ball to a large bowl that has been sprayed with oil. Flip the ball once so the entire surface is greased. Cover with plastic wrap. Allow to rise for about an hour and a half or until doubled. I put the bowl in a tepid oven (100°F) to nurture the yeast.- Dust the board with flour and transfer the dough to the board.
Gently punch down and cut into two equal portions then shape into loaves and place in 2 greased bread pans. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise for about an hour or until doubled. A warm shelf or tepid oven works well.- About 15 minutes before the end of the second rise, preheat the oven to 350°F. If raising in the oven, remove the bread first!
- Bake for 30 minutes. Allow to cool then serve or freeze.