My first post on this blog included my mom's awesome recipe for Homemade Bread, my go-to recipe for everyday sandwich bread. I am all about making and eating 100% whole-wheat bread over white because it's so much better for you and not to mention more filling. After much baking and research, I had come to accept the fact that the texture of 100% whole-wheat bread is not going to be as light and fluffy as its white-flour counterpart -- it's just a fact. But, there are several things you can do to close the gap between the two. The recipe I have been using already does a couple of those things: I use white-whole-wheat flour and add vital wheat gluten to the dough; they both lighten the bread up and accentuate the rising process, lessening your chances of baking up a loaf-shaped brick. I did some more research and found this website that lists and explains several natural dough enhancers, some of which you probably already have in your pantry. I decided to try a mixture of ground ginger and citric acid (you can sometimes find citric acid in its pure form at the store but I just finely crushed a vitamin C tablet). You just add in whichever dough-enhancing ingredients you decide to use along with your flour. I wasn't sure what was going to happen, but it made a HUGE difference in my bread's texture. I mean, I liked my bread before, but now it's soooooo much lighter and fluffier. It just seems to have more bounce and acts more like a white bread would. Also, the ginger and citric acid are supposed to preserve the bread by deterring mold so it can stay fresh longer. I am so glad I tried this! It only took like two extra seconds and made the world of a difference! So, from now on, I am adding 1 teaspoon of ground ginger and 2 finely crushed vitamin C tablets to my homemade bread recipe. And don't worry, you don't taste either of those ingredients in the bread. Try some other combinations and let me know how it goes!
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