I've been quite negligent in blogging. :( Life happened. Our summer was busy with softball, work, vacation, 4-H, fair and the start of school. I spent almost all of September on the road for work. It's been good to be home more in October, though I did spend a whole week at a conference followed by a class.
Here in the Nebraska corn belt, we are deep into harvest. A few neighbors are finishing up, but we are only about half done. Luckily, the weather has been nearly perfect. Just last week we were reminded about the 1997 snow storm that dropped more than a foot of snow in this part of the state closing schools and roads for up to a week in some places.
This fall, the King Arthur Flour crew started a monthly #bakealong challenge. I missed the August launch, Pane Bianco, and have yet to find an excuse to make that great looking bread. We joined in September with some Inside Out Pumpkin Muffins. We weren't huge fans of the muffins. They looked better than they tasted, but it was fun to join in the Instagram fun.
October's recipe, Everyday Whole-Grain Bread, appeared to be a straight-forward, tasty bread. It is exactly as it appears. With a short sponge, great instructions, and almost sure-fire results, this is a great beginner bread recipe with enough flavor and texture to make a good daily loaf. I opted for the loaf pan option to be able to use it as a sandwich bread. I shared a loaf with my sister, and we ate the second loaf so fast, I have yet to try it in a sandwich. Hopefully today's second batch will make it to Monday's lunch. :)
The recipe calls for equal parts white whole wheat flour and all-purpose flour. I made the first batch with equal parts KAF's artisan bread flour and unbleached all-purpose flour. Today's batch is equal parts artisan bread, white whole wheat and all-purpose flours. I think this recipe has the flexibility to adjust to infinite flour combinations, and I've seen reviews indicating others have used sourdough starter or gluten-free flours.
Find the full recipe on the KAF blog at http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/everyday-whole-grain-bread-recipe. Join the #bakealong at http://www.kingarthurflour.com/bakealong/.
