We’re teaming up with 1840 Farm to bring you The Bread Baker’s Series.

We thought it would be appropriate to begin the series with tips to make the perfect loaf of 100% whole wheat bread. Keep in mind that these tips can also be used with many other types of bread.

First of all, we’ll direct you to our 100% whole wheat bread recipe. There are tips and tricks in that post as well.

Now, onto the common issues that are keeping you from making your perfect loaf of 100% whole wheat bread!

Common Problems When Making Whole Wheat Bread

#1. Dense Flat Bread (AKA, A Brick)

This could be the result of old yeast that has lost its oomph.

But more than likely it has something to do with the gluten. It’s possible that the dough wasn’t kneaded enough to fully develop the gluten. If the gluten isn’t developed, the dough won’t stretch to hold the gas pockets that the yeast creates.

Dense bread could also be the result of not enough gluten. Not all wheat is created equal. Aim for wheat that is 14%-16% protein (protein = gluten). However, if your wheat falls short of this mark or you just want your bread lighter, add 1-4 tablespoons of vital wheat gluten.

Another possibility is that your bread didn’t rise long enough. A 1 and 1/2 pound loaf should rise to about one inch above the top of the pan.

Another less common possibility could be that there is too much salt. Salt helps control the yeast’s rising action. Too much salt could halt the rising.

Dense, but not so flat bread can come from too much dough in the pan. It may look fully risen just because of the amount of dough in the pan when it really isn’t. Aim for 1 1/2 pounds of dough for a medium loaf pan.

#2. Bread Rose Beautifully, Then Fell

This can happen when your bread rises too high before you put it in the oven. Again, aim to put your bread in the oven when it has risen to about one inch above the top of the pan.

Bread can also fall if the bread dough is too light. Add a little more flour.

Bread can also rise too high if there’s not enough salt. Salt controls the yeast action as well as adding flavor.

Another cause of fallen bread could be too much dough for the pan. 1 1/2 pounds of dough should go in a medium loaf pan.

#3. Air Pocket Under Crust

This one has been and continues to be a puzzlement for us. It’s possible that this happens when the bread rises too high, but before it has a chance to fall, the crust bakes enough to remain standing and the interior falls a little.

#4. Oven Spring

Oven spring is that unsightly, torn appearance usually on one side of the top crust. This happens when the loaf hasn’t quite risen enough. When it’s put in a hot oven, the yeast is forced to rise too quickly and ends up tearing the dough.

There are a couple ways to prevent this. You can be sure that the dough has risen enough, which takes practice.

A more fool-proof way to prevent oven spring is to put your loaf into a cold oven when it has risen just to the top of the pan. Then, turn the oven on. The oven heats up gradually, allowing the bread time to finish rising fully before the oven is up to temperature.

Another thing that might help is to keep the top of the bread from drying out while it’s rising. If it dries out, it won’t stretch and is more vulnerable to tearing. Brush-melted butter on the top of the dough after you put it in the pan. This will also create a super soft top crust after the bread is cool.

#5. Bread Falls Apart (Crumbly)

A baked loaf of bread becomes crumbly when the dough isn’t kneaded enough to develop the gluten. Fully developed gluten produces elasticity.

If the gluten is fully developed and your loaf still turns out crumbly, the wheat may not have enough protein (below 14%). Add 1-4 tablespoons of vital wheat gluten.

#6. Tastes Yeasty

Contrary to popular belief, bread usually ends up tasting yeasty when the water is too hot, not when too much yeast has been added. It takes a lot of yeast to produce a yeasty flavor on its own.

Do You Have Any Further Questions?

Keep in mind that there are so many different factors that affect bread. You may produce a perfect loaf for months, then all of a sudden, something goes wrong. It could be the barometric pressure, the humidity, the temperature, or any number of other things.

With lots of practice and trial-and-error, you’ll get it and be able to compensate where needed depending on outside factors.

If you have a question that we didn’t cover, please feel free to ask in the comments section below or on our Facebook page.

The Bread Baker’s Series is a creative collaboration between Kitchen Kneads and 1840 Farm. To be sure that you don’t miss out on any of the posts in this series, subscribe to our email, or follow us on Facebook or Pinterest. You can also become a member of the 1840 Farm community via email, Facebook, Twitter, or Pinterest.

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Each week of warm weather and the summer brings excitement and memories. All around good ol’ summer fun. I read a saying recently that said, “The story of food is also the story of who we are.”

When I was a young mother, we lived in New Jersey and some of my fondest memories are going to the diner on Saturday for breakfast or lunch. This week my daughter and the grands were in town. With moving boxes packed and challenging to move around, they opted to stay in a hotel.

Now as a back-line, my son-in-law is highly allergic to potatoes so potatoes are only eaten when she is at my house or at a restaurant when she is not even in the same town as her husband. She gave me a list of requests for potato dishes while she was in town: baked potatoes, French fries, tater tots both with brown gravy – a diner favorite.

One of the mornings that they came to the house for breakfast, I decided to have a diner breakfast as a memory blast from the past. I knew that my daughter has been to diners with her children and that is a fun part of her raising her children.

I share this with you as my blog this week as an opportunity to have a fun event with your family. A hygge moment. My granddaughter told me that Grandma’s Diner was better than the diner in Tulsa they have been to recently.

My favorite at the diner when we lived back East was having chocolate milk in a tall glass with ice and of course French fries with brown gravy. I started by meeting them at the car and welcomed them to the diner. I used a vintage-type tablecloth, complete with a lazy Susan filled with condiments.

I had paper under their plates with crayons, markers, and colored pencils. I even had the peg game from Cracker Barrel. Before we sat down, I informed them that we needed to feed the animals first. They were delighted to help feed the horses.

They were seated and drink orders were taken on an order pad and a pen on my apron and the choice was white milk, chocolate milk with whip crème, orange juice in their own bottle, or water. Of course, I had cute luau straws from The Dollar Store in my apron pocket.

Then we took orders for breakfast. Pancakes, home fries, and eggs. I used one of my favorite pancake recipes full of whole grains and packed with nutrition. Toppings for the pancakes included butter, mashed strawberries, fresh blueberries, applesauce, syrup, and whipped crème.

Seconds of milk, a whole batch of pancakes, and a whole pan of home fries later, breakfast was done and memories were made. The week also included tater tots and French fries with brown gravy and more home fries.

I share with you my recipe for home fries that I have used for many years along with one of my favorite pancake recipes. Take the time to have fun with your family this summer. Ingredients for these recipes can be found at Kitchen Kneads.

Yummy Recipes For Summer Fun

Easy 2-Ingredient Popsicles

Are you ready for a summer filled with refreshing and frugal treats to help you beat the heat? I love these popsicles because they’re so easy to make and because they’re perfect for hot summer days. It seriously takes only 2 minutes to put these together.

Then, after a few hours in the freezer, they’re ready to cool you down and delight your taste buds.

When I pulled these out of the freezer, I was expecting a pretty delicious, yet hard popsicle because of the high water content. I’m not really a fan of hard popsicles, but to my surprise, these are nice and soft. Even after 24 hours in the freezer.

They’re soft enough to bite if you’re a popsicle biter like me, but still firm enough to hold their shape while you eat it.

All you need to make these flavor-packed popsicles is equal amounts of your favorite of Torani syrup and water. Fill a popsicle mold with popsicle sticks. And freeze them!

The flavors I used were watermelon and lime. Oh my goodness, the watermelon is so good! The lime is tart and refreshing, but I think I’ll add a little sugar to it next time.

Whole Wheat Buttermilk Pancakes

• 1 ½ cups whole wheat flour
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• ½ tsp baking soda
• ¼ tsp salt
• 1 ¾ cups buttermilk

Instructions:

1. In a medium size bowl, combine the dry ingredients.
2. Stir in the liquid ingredients.
3. Drop by 2 Tablespoons on a nonstick griddle or skillet coated with cooking spray heated to medium heat.
4. Flip the pancakes when they rise and they begin to bubble.
5. Serve with toppings of choice.

Home Fries

• 1 potato per person. I like to use either red or Yukon Gold potatoes
• ¼ yellow onion diced
• Olive oil
• Salt, pepper and savory Tumeric blend
• Chicken broth

Instructions:

1. In a large skillet on low heat, heat a couple of tablespoons of olive oil.
2. When heated, toss in the potatoes, onions, and salt and pepper.
3. Let the potatoes sizzle and brown all of them just slightly.
4. Pour in just enough chicken broth to cover the bottom of the skillet, sprinkle on the turmeric savory blend.
5. Cover with a large lid and cook slowly, stirring occasionally until the potatoes are tender.
6. Remove the lid and stir.
7. Serve hot and if desired, serve with Ketchup!

Kitchen Kneads hopes you have some summer fun this summer and every summer.

Nothing says summer like a strawberry rhubarb shortcake. Here’s one of our favorite recipes for you to use.

What Exactly Is A Shortcake?

Shortcakes are light, flaky biscuits, pastries, or slices of sweet cake that are smothered with sweetened fruits and whipped cream. That being said, there are three types of shortcake: large, individual, and sponge.

Large shortcakes are made with biscuit dough that has been cut into large rounds (8 or 9 inches) and layered with fruit and whipped cream, somewhat resembling a layer cake.

Individual shortcakes are simply regular-size biscuits that have been broken in half with fruit and whipped cream between the two halves and on top.

Sponge shortcakes are slices of cake -sponge, angel food, white- that are either layered with the fillings as the individual and large shortcakes are or simply topped with fruit and whipped cream.

The Ingredients Make A World Of Difference

Today, we’re focusing on the large strawberry rhubarb shortcake because it’s been lost in time a little bit.

We’re kicking the flavor up a notch by using soft white wheat flour (aka, whole wheat pastry flour) and oat flour because of its natural sweetness in the biscuit. Whole-grain flour really adds flavor depth to everything.

And as for the fruit choice? Why not? It’s a classic flavor combination and, well… ’tis the season! Nothing says summer’s coming more than strawberry rhubarb shortcake.

Strawberry Rhubarb Shortcake

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups oat flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 1/4 cups shortening
6-7 T water
1 lb strawberries (about 4 cups)
1 1/2 cups rhubarb (about 7 stalks), cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1/2 cup sugar
2 T sugar
1 pint heavy whipping cream
6 T sugar

Instructions

Combine flours and salt in a medium bowl. Cut in shortening with a pastry blender until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle with water; toss with a fork. Press into balls.
Divide dough into 4 equal parts. Roll each part out on a lightly floured surface into an 8-inch circle, trimming edges evenly with an 8-inch round cake pan.
Place circles on baking sheets. Spread butter onto each round and sprinkle generously with sugar. Prick with a fork. Bake at 425 for 15 minutes. Cool on racks.
In a large pan over low heat, combine the chopped rhubarb and 1/2 cup of granulated sugar. Stir to coat the rhubarb thoroughly with the sugar, and let cook, stirring occasionally, until the rhubarb breaks down and becomes sticky and stringy, about 40 minutes to one hour.
Put 1/3 of the strawberries into a medium bowl and mash them until they are crushed. Add the 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar to the bowl.
Slice the rest of the strawberries into your desired thickness and add them to the crushed strawberry mixture. Set aside at room temperature for at least 30 minutes.
Once the rhubarb is cooked, add this to the strawberry mixture and set aside.
Whip cream with 6 T sugar until soft peaks form.
Stack pastry circles on a large serving plate, topping each circle with the strawberry rhubarb mixture and whipped cream.

Then, all you have to do is sit back and enjoy your strawberry rhubarb shortcakes with friends and family.

*Recipe adapted from The Curvy Carrot

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