Recipe | Robert Wayne Atkins, P.E.

Four-Grain Honey Whole Wheat Bread
Copyright © December 11, 2019 by Robert Wayne Atkins, P.E.
All Rights Reserved.

Introduction
4 Grain Honey Wheat Bread

This is a recipe that I created for my family because of my desire that they not sacrifice their long-term health by eating the healthiest bread that we can buy at a grocery store.

This bread uses four types of freshly ground grain:
1. Hard White Wheat.
2. Hard Red Wheat.
3. Organic Yellow Dent Field Corn.
4. Oat Groats (or "Quaker Oats" Old Fashioned Oats).

The above grains were stone ground into fine flour at my home approximately 45 minutes before they were put into a bread maker and baked into bread.

No sugar is used in this recipe. The only two sweeteners that are used are:

Honey: Locally produced honey was used because it contains the local pollens that can cause health problems. This helps everyone who eats this bread to enhance their natural immunity to these local pollens.
Saccharin: Saccharin was the "first" artificial sweetener and it was created in 1879 and it has zero calories. It has been declared safe by the Food & Drug Administration (FDA), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the World Health Organization (WHO), and the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). Saccharin does not cause any short-term or long-term negative health problems. The FDA had declared that saccharin can be consumed by adults and children in moderation without risk. Unlike other artificial sweeteners, saccharin can be safely used in baking recipes because it does not break down at temperatures above 350°F and react with other ingredients and increase the risk of cancer. In 1911 President Theodore (Teddy) Roosevelt made the following official comment: "Anybody who says saccharin is injurious to health is an idiot."

Bread Machines
Bread Machines: Each bread machine is programmed by its manufacturer to bake bread is a specific manner. Decisions on how long to stir the dough, how long to let the dough rise, and how long to bake the bread are based on how the bread machine was designed, and what yields the best average results in each individual bread machine. After you gain a little experience with a new bread machine then you will gradually learn if you can use bread machine recipes exactly as they are written, or if you need to increase or decrease the amount of salt, or yeast, or liquid in the recipe so that it produces an optimal loaf of bread using the bread machine that you own.

Yeast Tip for Bread Machine Recipes
Delayed Baking: If you will be using the timer on your bread machine to delay the baking process then you should follow the instructions that come with your bread machine and sprinkle the yeast on top of the flour so that the yeast cannot make contact with the water in the bottom of the bread pan.

Immediate Baking: If you will be activating your bread machine so that it immediately begins mixing the ingredients together then you can enhance the performance of your bread machine, and improve the appearance of your finished loaf of baked bread, by not sprinkling the yeast on top of the flour. Instead "proof" the yeast by mixing the yeast in the amount of warm water specified in your bread recipe and allow it to rest for about ten minutes to activate the yeast. Then stir the yeast and water solution into the flour to make a moist lumpy dough in a mixing bowl. It is not necessary to mix the dough as much as you would normally do if you were going to knead the dough by hand. Then transfer the moist dough into the bread pan and gently and evenly distribute the dough in the bread pan. Then put the bread pan in the bread machine and activate the bread machine according to the instructions that came with your bread machine. You may be pleasantly surprised at the improvement this makes in the texture and appearance of your finished loaf of baked bread.

Four-Grain Honey Whole Wheat Bread
This Recipe Yields One 24-Ounce Loaf of Bread (1.5 Pounds)

2 c. Hard White Wheat Flour	1 1/4 c. Warm Water (110°F)
3/4 c. Hard Red Wheat Flour	1 1/2 grains "Necta Sweet" Saccharin (six 1/4 grain small tablets)
1/4 c. Yellow Dent Field Corn Cornmeal	2 T. Organic Unsalted Butter, softened (room temperature)
1/4 c. Oat Groats (or "Quaker Oats" Old Fashioned Oats) Flour	1/3 c. Local Honey
1 1/2 T. Non-fat Dry Milk Powder	1/4 oz. Packet "Fleischmann's" Rapid Rise Instant Yeast
1 1/2 tsp. Iodized Salt

Basic Instructions: Do not grind the four grains into flour until you are ready to use them to bake bread. Flour begins to degrade the moment it is created. If you will wait to grind grain until you are ready to bake bread then your family will enjoy the healthiest possible baked bread and this will significantly enhance their immune systems and increase their short-term health, their long-term health, and their life expectancy.

In a large bowl combine the hard white wheat flour, the hard red wheat flour, the yellow dent field corn cornmeal, and the "Quaker Oats" Old Fashioned Oats oat flour. Stir until all four flours are well blended. Add the non-fat dry milk powder and the iodized salt and stir until well blended.

Additional Instructions for Delayed Baking of Bread: In a separate medium bowl combine the warm water and the "Necta Sweet" saccharin tablets. Stir until the tablets are dissolved in the water. Cut the room temperature butter into very thin slices and add to the warm water and stir until the butter dissolves in the warm water. Stir in the honey until the honey dissolves in the warm water and turns the water a light brown color. If the butter or the honey will not blend with the water then the water is not warm enough and it may need to be heated very briefly in the microwave.

Follow the directions on your bread maker. On my bread maker I put the liquid ingredients in the bottom of the bread pan. Then I poured the dry ingredients on top of the liquids so that they floated on the liquid. Then I sprinkled the "Fleischmann's" Rapid Rise Instant Yeast evenly over the top of the dry ingredients. Then I closed the lid on the bread machine and activated it according to the instructions. I selected "whole wheat" bread, and "1.5 pounds," and a "medium" crust. Then I pressed the start button. Approximately three hours later the bread was done and ready to be eaten.

Additional Instructions for Immediate Baking of Bread: Put half the warm water into one bowl and pour the contents of the yeast packet into the warm water and stir to mix the yeast in the water. Put the other half of the warm water into a different bowl. Add the "Necta Sweet" saccharin tablets and stir until the tablets are dissolved in the water. Cut the room temperature butter into very thin slices and add to the warm water and stir until the butter dissolves in the warm water. Stir in the honey until the honey dissolves in the warm water and turns the water a light brown color. If the butter or the honey will not blend with the water then the water is not warm enough and it may need to be heated very briefly in the microwave.

After the yeast has been activated in the warm water for about ten minutes, pour the two bowls of water into the dry flour mixture in the flour bowl. Stir the mixture until all the flour has been moistened and you have a lumpy mixture of dough. It is not necessary to mix the dough as much as you would normally do if you were going to knead the dough by hand. Then transfer the moist dough into the bread pan and gently and evenly distribute the dough in the bread pan. Then put the bread pan in the bread machine and activate the bread machine according to the instructions that came with your bread machine. On my bread maker I closed the lid on the bread machine and activated it according to the instructions. I selected "whole wheat" bread, and "1.5 pounds," and a "medium" crust. Then I pressed the start button. Approximately three hours later the bread was done and ready to be eaten.

(Note: My 24 year old grandson is a very "picky" eater but he politely asked for a second slice of the above bread. My entire family really enjoyed the fresh warm bread and we did not add anything to it, such as butter or jelly.)

Grandpappy's e-mail address is: RobertWayneAtkins@hotmail.com