Amanda's Super Healthy, From Scratch, Bread

Ingredients

10.5 cups of Whole Wheat Flour

3 Tablespoons of Nutritional Yeast

1.5 Tablespoon of Salt

1.5 Tablespoon of Cinnamon

1/2 cup of Honey

1/2 cup of Olive Oil

1/3 cup of Vanilla

1 (or 2) smashed up banana

5.5 cups of Water

Additional Whole Wheat Flour as needed. Perhaps 1 cup.

Time:  Approximately 1 hour for prep and cook time combined.

This bread is so filling and so yummy to me.  It's the only bread I have eaten for a long time and I don't think I could enjoy any other bread quite as much now.  I will typically make one batch per week and I eat a couple of slices a day for lunch each day until I need to make another batch.  This recipe is one that I came up with to have it be as healthy as possible, while still being tasty.

 So I have already ground up an entire bowl of local hard white wheat.  

Eden is measuring out 10.5 cups of it and putting it in my beloved Bosch mixer.

 Next, put in your nutritional yeast.  Nutritional yeast does not make your bread rise.  I add it because it is a complete protein and as a strict vegan, I think it's good for me to add it in my bread.  I do not care about my bread rising.  In fact, I use to put normal yeast in it way back when, but I just did not want light and fluffy bread, so stopped using it.  I like my bread super heavy and dense, making just a couple of pieces feel like a nice meal.  And this stuff is LOADED with fiber.  It will clear you out if you aren't use to having a high fiber diet.

 Add in the salt.

 Add some cinnamon.  Honestly, I never measure the cinnamon, and I can sometimes get a bit carried away with it.  But I love me some cinnamon!

 Next Eden is pouring in some local raw, organic honey.  Yummy!

 She's adding in the olive oil.

 Vanilla comes next.  I also have a weak spot for vanilla and just pour it in willy nilly according to my whims.  

 Next Eden is smashing up a banana to put in.  Sometimes if I want a little more sweetening, I will put in two bananas.

 Putting the banana in.

 Last, but very importantly, she's pouring in the water.  

 Now, before starting the machine, I usually give the dough attachment a few turns so the water doesn't go flying.

 Start on low for just a few seconds.  Then turn to high for 7 minutes.

 This is how our dough often looks after a few minutes.  It is smooth and moist and quick moving.  This means you need to add some flour.  We poured in about 1 more cup slowly, until the mixture looked thicker and was "pulling" off the sides.

 See the difference?  It is "pulling" here.  That's when you're good.

 Take the dough out and place it in bread pans.  These pans do not need to be sprayed first with cooking spray, but many do.  Pat the dough down.  I usually get my hands wet and smooth it out nicely.  Remember, nutritional yeast does not rise, so don't bother having it sit for half an hour hoping it will.

 Put it in the oven, preheated at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes to 1 hour.  I just watch until it looks golden brown and with it being so dense, I err on the side of caution so that the inside dough cooks fully.

 And the loaf looks like this when done!