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Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Brown Buttermilk Bread

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I don't really understand people who either A. Don't like sweets or B. Only have dessert once or twice a week. Believe me, I realize that daily dessert isn't necessarily the wisest choice. Every time I open a magazine or turn on the news I feel like I'm bombarded with reports of how harming sugar is. I get it, I get it...but my giving up dessert is like asking a fish to give up water.

Okay, maybe that's a bad analogy. Fish can't live without water, I can live without dessert...although I hope I never have to try!
Point is, forgoing dessert is a pretty foreign concept to me. Then I made this bread. Suddenly, I found myself ripping off extra chunks of this after dinner instead of rummaging through the contents of our candy drawer (true story, we have a candy drawer) or indulging in whatever baked good sat on our counter that week.

With 100% whole wheat flour and a hefty dose of wheat germ, it's fairly healthy! The outside crisped and browned perfectly while the inside stayed soft and moist. Even better, it's a quick bread! No worrying about if your yeast is fresh or waiting for it to rise. This literally comes together in minutes and after a quick half hour in the oven, you have warm, fresh bread ready to be eaten (whether with dinner, OR for dessert ;)).
Two Years Ago: Salsa Chicken and Black Bean Soup (about as easy as it gets!)

Brown Buttermilk Bread

Ingredients:
-3 cups whole wheat flour
-1/2 cup cornmeal
-1/2 cup wheat germ
-1 3/4 tsp baking soda
-1 tsp salt
-1/4 cup vegetable oil
-2 tbsp honey
-1 1/2 cups low-fat buttermilk

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350F. In a large bowl combine flour, cornmeal, wheat germ, baking soda, and salt.
2. In a separate bowl mix oil, honey, and buttemrilk. Add the dry ingredients and mix well (I did this in my stand mixer with the dough hook).
3. Knead dough on a floured surface until smooth. Shape into two equal-sized balls. Cut an "X" across the top of each loaf. Place on a baking sheet or a pizza stone (if using a pizza stone, place in the oven to preheat while the oven is heating) and bake for 30 minutes.