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I am a wife, mother, teacher, runner, baker, fund-raiser, reader, watcher of movies, dog-lover, writer, music-lover and foodie. So - I'm a woman of many moods! I write and share in order to teach and enrich. I currently have two blogs going: The Kitchen Refugee, and A Mile At A Time. The first is about time spent in the kitchen and the second about time spent on the road. Frequently the two roads intersect!

Sunday, September 12, 2010

Love Bread


Okay – this recipe isn’t really called Love Bread, that’s just what my husband calls it!  He claims he can taste the love in his sandwiches!  It’s worth making it each week just for a compliment like that.





It’s actually called Setpoint Bread, from the 1980’s book, The Setpoint Diet, by Dr. Gilbert Leveille.  I got the recipe from a friend of mine, but have never actually read this book.  It’s also quite possible that the recipe has been tweaked from its original.  But – it’s good, and as far as bread goes, I think it’s fairly easy.







Setpoint Bread  (Preheat oven to  375º)

1 TB yeast
2 C warm water
2 TB vital wheat gluten
3 TB honey, molasses, or sugar
3 TB oil
2 tsp. salt
5-6 cups of flour – 3 are whole wheat, the others, white

Proof the yeast in one cup of warm water.
Add the other cup of water, along with gluten, oil, honey and three cups of wh/w flour.  I sprinkle the salt in at this point.  Although bread machine recipes have you dump everything in at once, on the advice of pastry chefs, you really shouldn’t put your salt in direct contact with your yeast.

Add the rest of the flour a little at a time until you must knead the rest in by hand.  You want a firm dough, that isn’t sticking to you or your counter.  I never count minutes of kneading – I just knead the dough until it’s smooth and elastic.

Place dough in a greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap, or a warm, damp towel.  Let the dough raise until doubled – 2-3 hours. 




Shape dough into two loaves, and place in greased bread pans to raise again – until the dough rounds above the pan. 





Bake for 25-30 minutes – until well browned, and if you’re not sure – thump it like a watermelon - if it sounds hollow, it’s ready.  Allow the bread to cool on racks for 3-5 minutes before you remove the loaves from the pans to cool the rest of the way.  (Leaving them in the pans to cool will build condensation inside the pans and make for a wet crust.)



*If you wish – you can make additions to the dough –
sunflower seeds
raisins/cinnamon
Extra bran can be added to the mix – I just count is as part of my flour measurement – maybe adding a ½ -1 cup to the recipe.  

Cook, Eat and Share the Love!

1 comment:

  1. Okay. If your husband likes it that much, I'll give it a shot. I will even buy the book as a gift for my wife. If she doesn't like it, I'll cook the meals myself and let you know how they turn out (which will not be a task because I love to cook). Thanks.

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