"give us this day..."

I haven’t always had poor results with homemade bread. It all started when I moved to a city with an elevation over 4000 feet. Initially, the difference only seemed to show up when using beans but after my cousin informed me that she can make a loaf of bread for less than $.50, I jumped back on the homemade bread band wagon I’d fallen off of after our move.

What has turned out to be an adventure began with a basic recipe I used all the time, with great results, at sea level. But up here in the nose bleed section, disappointment met me out of the oven. My family ate it (with just slight gripping from my 14, uh, 4-year-old) but I was not to be outdone by flour, yeast, salt, water and honey. So to the internet I went.

Did you know that at higher elevations yeast has less resistance to work with (think, atmospheric pressure) so it climbs and builds and grows higher faster. Should be great for bread, right? Wrong. After all that not-so-hard-work has climaxed, the structure cannot contain itself and simply crashes (think Rome expanding too fast). So what looks like it will turn out to be beautiful bread, sadly sags. And rapidly expanding yeast? This is just one of the problems! More salt, less sweet, slow rises, and on and on.

So I turned to my cousin, “How do you make whole-wheat bread out here?!” And the truth is revealed: “Oh, I use half whole wheat and half regular flour.” Well there you go. But I want 100% whole wheat bread for my family! And I know it is possible. In grocery stores I eye with envy the loaves of plump, perfectly sliced bread that boasts to be made a few cities over and only contain five ingredients. I fantasize about gaining employment there just to learn the secrets. But I digress.

Back at home I cave and begin making 50/50 loaves, rationalizing that I have to start somewhere and build from there. And I do. I experiment. Each loaf is a little different. New recipes are tried, judged, consumed and notated. Research continues and improvements are made. I’m not “there” yet, but I am closer! Just tonight I made 100% whole wheat loaves with freshly ground Prairie Gold wheat. There was some collapse during the baking process but a lovely muffin top none-the-less! Can you tell I’m excited? My family doesn’t seem to care (even my 4-year-old nixed the complaining) as long as they are fed but this has be come a challenge, a personal crusade. I will make healthy bread. And it will be beautiful.