How to Make Light Bread

Baking fresh bread not only can yield some tasty results, but it also fills your home with the fresh aroma of a bakery. It is an ages-old skill that anyone who's a little handy in the kitchen can probably already do, and a novice baker can pick up quickly. If you're watching what you eat, making your own bread also means you can watch what goes into it.

Things You'll Need

• 1 cup 2%, skim or light vanilla soy milk
• 1 1/4 cups water
• 1/4 cup honey
• 3 tbsp. butter or margarine
• 1 tbsp. salt
• Saucepan
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3 1/2 cups whole-wheat flour
• 4 1/2 tsp. active dry yeast
• Cooking spray
• Mixing bowl
• Oven cloth, tea towel or kitchen towel
• 8- x 4- x 2-inch loaf pan
• Bread machine (optional)

Instructions

Handmade Loaf

1. Heat milk, water, honey, butter and salt in a saucepan to about 120 degrees. It may boil, but stir frequently to prevent forming a skin.

2. Combine 2 cups all-purpose flour, 2 cups whole-wheat flour and yeast.

3. Add flour mixture to the liquid mixture and blend at a low speed. Beat this mixture at a medium speed for three minutes.

4. Stir in excess wheat flour and a little of the remaining white flour to form a soft dough.

5. Spread the remaining white flour onto a clean counter, then turn your dough out there.

6. Knead for about seven minutes, or until the dough is elastic and smooth.

7. Grease a bowl with cooking spray, then place the dough inside. Flip the dough over to evenly cover it in cooking spray. Place the bowl in a warm place and cover it with a kitchen towel or cloth.

8. Leave the dough for about an hour, or until the dough has doubled in volume.

9. Punch dough down and pull it out of the bowl.

10. Shape into two loaves; place in greased bread pans.

11. Cover again and leave loaves to rise until doubled, about another hour.

12. Bake at 375 degrees F for 40 to 45 minutes.

13. Flip the bread out of the pans and leave it to cool on a wire rack.

Bread Machine Loaf

1. Install the impeller in the bread pan.

2. Pour the liquids, flour, milk and honey into the bread pan.

3. Place the flours on top of the liquids. Reduce both types of flour by 1/2 cup.

4. Put all of the remaining ingredients on top of the flour, taking care not to mix them. Place them in opposite corners of the pan and make an impression in the flour to pour the yeast in.

5. Place the bread pan into the bread machine, making sure it's installed correctly. See the machine's instruction manual if you have questions.

6. Turn on the bread machine, set it for a "wheat bread cycle," or the nearest equivalent on your model. Consult the owner's manual for more information.

7. Leave the machine to run, then remove the bread from the bread pan and leave on a wire rack to cool.

Tips & Warnings

• Feel free to experiment with the bread. You could add herbs or other ingredients to the mixture and bake as normal.

References

• AllRecipes: Honey Wheat Bread
• FatFree.com: Light WW Bread