1. This is as good as my presentation on making whole wheat bread gets. Realistically, I'm unable to put what I present as an all-day workshop as a post on a message board about how to make 100% whole wheat loaves. I teach information about the grain, milling, and bread making. The details are important - at least I think so, but I will add these sources and tips FYI. 2. Soaked flour method is found in the book, "Nourishing Traditions" by Sally Fallon with Mary G. Enig, Ph.D. I use a modified version of this. 3. Retarding dough is a method where you "park" the dough in the refrigerator. This essentially stretches the time allowed for fermentation which helps develop the flavor during the primary (or bulk) fermentation. The final proofing stage is when the dough develops lightness and texture. The longer fermentation breaks down the whole wheat flour which also helps make a lighter loaf. 4. I never add vital wheat gluten to 100% whole wheat bread, but that doesn't mean it's wrong to do so. I just happen to know the type of wheat I use has a fairly high protein level that will make excellent yeast breads. I also mill a fine grind of flour (coarse flour = coarse bread). The finer the flour, the smaller the shreds of bran and the higher the gluten level. You can also sift the large shreds of bran out of flour. Use it as a topping on the loaf. Adding too much vital wheat gluten will cause the bread to be tough. It also takes longer to develop gluten in breads with high-gluten levels. I've worked with 16% protein wheat and all that additional protein only means more time kneading....so more is not necessarily better. The only time I add vital wheat gluten is if I'm using a large amount of low-gluten flour, such as barley, oat, or rye. 5. As pointed out in "CookWise" (by Shirley O. Corriher), "Give ten bakers the same flour, yeast, salt, and water and have them make bread with just these ingredients and they will make ten different loaves of bread." I'd suggest reading the first 100 pages of "CookWise" for a lot of general information concerning all kinds of yeast/sourdough bread information. I make bread no one else makes using unusual ingredients. I use bits and pieces of information from a wide source of "experts". I change what I'm doing when I read new information I think will make better bread. Not all methods work for all people for a lot of reasons. Mostly time is the factor. 6. There are three basic methods for making bread - straight dough (aka direct-mix), sponge (aka pre-ferment), or sourdough. 7. The straight dough method is a modern method based on modern commercial flour, yeast, and quick mixing methods. This method is fine for most modern (white) breads, but you'll get better whole wheat bread using the other two methods. 8. Sponge/pre-ferments come in a wide variety of methods. I'd suggest checking out a copy of "Crust & Crumb" by Peter Reinhart for more information. 9. Sourdough is also a method that takes a lot more time than than the straight dough method. 10. BREAD MACHINE BREAD Luisa Perkins of Cold Spring, New York, has supplied us with the following soaked recipe for a bread machine. She uses a Zojirushi bread machine (available from the King Arthur flour company), which has a "homemade" cycle. 1 cup purified water 3/4 cup homemade whey 5 cups freshly ground hard wheat flour, preferably white wheat, not red 3 tablespoons Rapadura or Sucanat 4 tablespoons lard or butter 2 teaspoons sea salt 2 teaspoons yeast (SAF brand recommended) Put the water, whey and flour into the bread machine loaf pan. Set the homemade cycle to the maximum time allowed on preheat and rise cycles--this should be at least 6 hours. The baking time should be set to zero. After preheating and kneading, the dough has about 6 hours at about 100 degrees. Add the remaining ingredients and set the machine to the wheat cycle, which should be another 3 hours at least. The two cycles together give the dough more than seven hours for the whey to do its work. The bread comes out nicely browned, risen to the top of the loaf pan and flat on top. It has a good, even structure and texture. If you start in the morning, the bread is finished by early evening and will be cooled off and ready to eat the following morning. Makes a 2-pound loaf. (Source: http://www.westonaprice.org/foodfeatures/sourdough_egg_noodles.html - towards the end of the page) 11. Another good method is called a two-stage method by Sue Gregg (www.suegregg.com). This includes an overnight soak/sponge. 12. I use an overnight sponge in my bread machine and mix the dough the next day on the dough cycle which is similar to the recipe above. This is one example of what I do for lighter 100% whole wheat bread. 3/4 c. (homemade) kefir 3/4 c. barely warm water 2-1/2 c. freshly-milled Prairie Gold Spring Hard White Wheat 1/4 t. ascorbic acid powder 2 t. SAF Instant yeast Add to the sponge the next morning: 1/3 c. agave nectar 1 egg approx. 2-1/4 c. freshly milled whole wheat flour (you may have to adjust hydration during mixing/kneading) 3 T. coconut oil - I add fat late in the mixing along with 2 t. salt - AFTER the gluten has developed. * There's a science about when to add the fat and the salt (see: "CookWise" for this information). If you want a loaf that has a cake-like crumb (close-grain) and that also yields a shorter loaf, then add the fat and salt early in the mixing. If you want more loft and an open crumb, add the fat/salt late in the mixing - after the gluten is developed. Adding the salt late also makes kneading easier. Once salt is added, the gluten strands really tighten up. 13. Don't add ascorbic acid when making sourdough breads. They are already acidic enough. -Grainlady

Thanks for all the input and ideas not many if any negatives. I'm sure if there were some it would have come out. I have done the lemon and oil test on a little piece of the granite (30 mins). No mark no stain nothing. It is resined ( coating on the side). So we should be good to bake our brains out..... OK I started this thread and I disappeared from the picture. Well we and yes I do me DW and I have been working on and off for most of the week....On a Ukrainian Christmas dinner for 22 people. It is just not Ukrainian http://www.religionfacts.com/christianity/holidays/christmas.htm Kutya (wheat) Borcht (Beet Soup) with stuffed mushroom min perogies Salmon Shrimp Herrings Perogies (potato and cheese, saurkraut, blueberries and prunes) Cabbage Rolls Mushroom gravey with 4 types of mushrooms with the addition of dried mushrooms Added some saute porkchops (for those that just need to have meat) dessets and coffee etc. Oh did I forget clean-up...good friends always help. all the time we were working,serving and cleaning up was wishing and thinking about our redo.

I've never managed to make a really good loaf of GF bread in the bread machine, although I've only tried using it a few times. There is a cookbook for Gluten-Free Breads made in a bread machine, but I don't know the exact title or author. The only recipe that was close (it looked a lot like the picture above) I NOW mix with an electric hand mixer (3-minutes), baked in a small loaf pan, and get much better results than using the bread machine. It looks like actual "bread". I think the bread machine does a poor job because of the small amount of the g-f dough mixture in a machine that will make a 2# loaf, so you tend to get a flat loaf due to so little volume. The second problem with the bread machine is that it is all timed, and the timing is designed for regular bread, not gluten-free. The successful recipe is made with Pamela's Baking & Pancake Mix I found at their web site. It contains 3-1/4 c. of dry mix, so Party_Music50's suggestion using 3-1/2 c. sounds like it would also work. There are instructions at the web site for both bread machine and by hand recipes. This is the one that is easy to mix with an electric mixer and the bread is done much quicker than using a bread machine. 2 eggs, beaten 4 T. butter (I use 1/2 coconut oil) 1 pkg. Instant Yeast (2-1/4 t. - I use SAF Instant)) 3-1/4 c. Pamela's Baking & Pancake Mix 1/4 c. sugar (I use 2 T. agave nectar) 1/4 t. salt Crack eggs in a measuring cup and beat with a fork. Melt butter, cool slightly and add to eggs, then add warm water for a total of 1-1/2 c. liquid. Place all dry ingredients, including yeast, in a mixing bowl. Add warm butter/egg/water mixture. Beat on high speed for 3 minutes. Pour into greased loaf pan NO MORE than 1/2 to 2/3 full. (If you have any remaining dough, use it in a small loaf pan or pour remaining dough into a greased muffin tin - each cup 1/2 full - and make "rolls" with the batter.) Cover with lightly oiled plastic wrap (I spritz it with pan spray) and place in a warm area to rise until doubled, about 1 hour (less for rolls), or until dough has risen to the lip of the pan. Take off the plastic wrap and bake in a preheated 375-degree F. oven 35 minutes for large loaf; 25-30 minutes for small loaf; and 15-25 minutes for rolls. Additional notes from the recipe: I find it much easier to slice the bread after freezing it. For extra flavor, I like to sprinkle sesame seeds in the greased bread pan before putting in the dough. For a nice variation, add 1/4 c. sunflower seeds or a T. of sesame seeds, or poppy seeds to the dough when mixing. This bread makes fantastic grilled sandwiches, cinnamon toast, and French Toast. [Grainlady's notes: I slice mine after it is completely cool with a serrated bread knife. I either place it 2-slices to a fold-top sandwich bag (and then into a plastic container), or I'll place dividers between each slice and wrap the entire sliced loaf in plastic wrap and then aluminum foil. I made the plastic dividers by cutting flexible cutting mats (available at Wal-Mart - 3 sheets per package - in 3 different colors) with my guillotine style paper cutter in sizes I use for dividing slices of quick breads, loaf-size breads, between layers of pancakes, etc., stored in the freezer. I've added cinnamon for Cinnamon Bread (should try it with currants or raisins). Another time I added some dried onion flakes and dill weed for Dill Bread (good for grilled sandwiches). For a "Rye" bread I would add ground caraway seeds and some whole caraway seeds. I bake the entire recipe in a 4-1/2 x 8-inch NORPRO pan (the sides and bottom are dimpled). When I run out of Pamela's Baking and Pancake mix, I'm going to make a copy cat version and mill my own ingredients and see if I can cut the cost.] -Grainlady

1. Think whole foods like fruit, instead of your typical ooey-gooey, high-sugar desserts. CHOCOLATE-COATED FRUIT PARTY PLATTER (source: "Get The Sugar Out" by Anne Louise Gittleman) 4 oz. unsweetened chocolate squares 1 T. unsalted butter (coconut oil is a great substitute for butter - and if you are avoiding dairy because of lactose, the higher the fat content of a dairy product, the lower the lactose - butter has very little lactose) 1/2 c. unsweetened apple-juice concentrate 1 t. natural vanilla extract 4 c. fruit (whole strawberries, bananas, navel oranges, kiwis, etc.) Spray a baking sheet with a vegetable cooking spray (or cover with parchment paper or Release aluminum foil); set aside. In the top of a double boiler, over simmering water, melt chocolate and butter, stirring occasionally; remove from heat and cool slightly. Whisk in juice concentrate a little at a time until chocolate is smooth; add vanilla extract. If mixture is too thick, add a little more concentrate until it thins out. Dip ends of fruit into chocolate mix, twirling to coat lower half of each piece of fruit; let excess drip back into pan until all chocolate is used. Place fruit on prepared baking sheet; place in freezer 10 minutes to set chocolate. refrigerate until ready to serve. Makes 12 servings of 3 pieces each. --------------- Marinated Fresh Fruit Kabobs Marinade: 1/2 c. honey (agave nectar or no-calorie substiute) 1/4 c. water 1/4 c. lime juice 1/4 c. orange juice Fruit: 1 c. honeydew melon balls or cubes 1 c. watermelon balls or cubes 1 c. cantaloupe melon balls or cubes 2 large nectarines or peaches, cut into cubes 8-12 bamboo skewers In small saucepan, combine honey (or substitute) and water; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer 5 minutes. Stir in lime juice and orange juice. Cool completely. Combine fruit in medium bowl. Pour marinade over fruit; toss gently. Cover; refrigerate 1-2 hours to blend flavors. When ready to serve, place about 12 pieces of fruit on each bamboo skewer. 8-12 kabobs ------------- Instead of Apple Pie... Orange Sauced Apples 3 T. agave nectar (or other sweetener) 1 T. cornstarch 1/4 t. nutmeg or cinnamon or apple pie spice 1 c. orange juice 3 cooking apples (For French Apple, add some raisins.) Combine agave nectar, cornstarch, spice, juice, and blend well. Stir in apple slices. Over medium-high heat, bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat. Cover; simmer 5-10 minutes or until apples are tender and sauce is thickened, stirring occasionally. Serve warm. You can top this with sprinkles of crunchy cereal, homemade sugar-free granola or nuts to give it a "crust". 2. Check your local library for cookbooks on the subject. Here are a few that I have in my library that would have appropriate recipes in them. Have your library get them through inter-library loan if they don't have them on the shelf. The "allergy" cookbooks have recipes for frosting/fillings that are dairy-free, as well as other dessert items. -The Complete Food Allergy Cookbook - by Marilyn Gioannini -How Sweet It Is...Without The Sugar - by Jean C. Wade -The Allergy Self-help Cookbook - by Marjorie Hurt Jones -Stevia (Naturally sweet recipes for desserts, drinks and more!) by Rita DePuydt 3. If you can use agave nectar (a natural, low-glycemic, honey-like sweetener), I have many recipes you could use. If you are dealing with Candida, then that requires a whole different approach to foods and agave nectar wouldn't be a suitable sugar substitute. I've used agave nectar as a substitute for "sugar" for many years now. An easy way to use agave nectar is as a substitute in recipes that use honey as a sweetener. "Sugar-Free" is a bit broad. Do you mean free of white table sugar, since things like concentrated fruit juices are also full of "sugar"? White flour and white rice raises blood glucose as quickly as white table sugar, if you are avoiding "sugar" for blood sugar problems. It's easy to substitute agave nectar for sugar in recipes. Muffins and other quick breads also make great "treats" and snacks. Make up batches of mini-muffins and freeze them. 4. Tortillas are a great substitute for yeast-free bread. They can be used for quick meals, including wraps. They are also fun and easy to make at home. 5. Nut milk and rice milk is a great substitute for milk and is easy (and much cheaper) to make at home. Personally, I avoid soy, since it's high on the list of allergens. If it's lactose in milk you are avoiding, then Whey Milk is a great substitute - www.wheymilkusa.com. -Grainlady