The Local Loaf: Fresh Artisan Breads from Your Neighborhood Bakery

My neighbor received a grain grinder as a gift. She buys grain, mills her own flour and bakes homemade bread. While it’s certainly wise to stay on the good side of such a generous neighbor, I also felt a sudden urge to bake bread using wheat grown on our own farm.

Making a Very Local Loaf of Bread

I love trying new recipes and our family grows wheat, so making bread from our own grain was a rewarding experiment.

raw wheat — Fresh wheat from the field, with some straw, hulls and other chaff

wheat cleaned by hand — I tried dropping the wheat in front of a fan to blow out the chaff, but ended up shaking it and picking unwanted bits out by hand.

Pouring wheat into the mill — Pouring wheat into the flour mill.

pouring wheat into flour mill — The Little Farmer was committed to making flour.

homemade flour — Our freshly milled flour had a field-fresh aroma.

kid playing in canister of homemade flour — The Little Farmer is proud of his work. He helped plant the wheat, rode in the combine at harvest, and helped clean and grind the grain into flour.

Dough

1 1/3 cup warm milk

4 tablespoons butter, softened

1/2 cup honey

2 3/4 cups whole wheat flour

1 3/4 cups white flour

2 teaspoons salt

1 egg

About 1/2 cup combined: dry milk, cracked wheat, wheat germ (or other small additions your neighbor recommends)

homemade bread ingredients in a bowl — Dry milk, cracked wheat for crunch, and wheat germ—little additions that add flavor and texture.

2 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast

My mixer manager is on the job—he loves running the controls.

Combine all dough ingredients in an electric mixer. Mix and knead until the dough is smooth and slightly sticky. If needed, adjust flour or liquid a little to reach this texture.

dusty counter — There was some flour dust on the counter—part of the process.

Let the dough rise in the bowl for about 1 hour. It may not double, but should become noticeably puffy. Divide the dough into 8–10 even pieces and shape each into an oval roll. Place the rolls on a lightly greased baking sheet, cover, and let rise in a warm place for 90 minutes to 2 hours.

Bake the mini loaves in a preheated 350°F oven for roughly 20 minutes, or until the bottoms are lightly browned and the loaves sound hollow when tapped.

homemade bread — Making bread takes time but the result is worth the effort.

Recipe and the flour grinder are courtesy of my generous neighbors. Thank you!