Nothing smells better or tastes better then homemade whole wheat bread!  I've tried several recipes but the following whole wheat bread recipe is my staple to bake usually on Sundays.  This recipe will make 4 loaves or in my case 16 mini loaves and 1 regular loaf.  My son absolutely loves the mini loaves and at 5yrs old their perfect size for him.  Plus the mini loafs are to die for fresh with molasses... yummm!!!

Step 1: Prepare yeast mix.  In a bowl add sugar to 1 cup of hot tap water and sprinkle the active dry yeast on top.  Let sit for approx 10mins, then stir.  I do this step first so the yeast is preparing while I complete step 2.

Step 1 ingredients:
-1 cup of hot water (run hot from the tap)
-2 teaspoons sugar
-2 envelops of active dry yeast

Step 2: Set a pot on the stove and set to medium.  Add all ingredients to the pot and stir until the shortening melts and all ingredients are thoroughly mixed.  Pour contents of pot in a large mixing bowl and add 2 1/4 cups of water.  Mix thoroughly and then add Step 1 yeast mix and keep stirring until all ingredients are mixed well.

Step 2 ingredients:
-1.5 cups of milk (I use 1% milk)
-Half cup lightly packed brown sugar
-2 tablespoons of salt
-Half cup shortening

Step 3: Beat in 6 cups of whole wheat flour and once fully mixed, gradually beat in 6 to 6 1/2 cups of white flour until desired consistency.  Work in last of flour with a rotating motion of the hand.  Turn dough onto a floured sufrace and knead for about 8 mins... homemade bread is all in the kneading process.  Shape into a ball and place in a large greased mixing bowl. Rotate the dough in the greased mixing bowl to ensure the entire ball is covered.  Cover with damp cloth and let rise for approx 1 1/4 hour or until the dough has doubled in size.

Once the dough has risen, punch down and shape into 4 loaves or I like to make 16 mini loaves and 1 regular loaf.  Place the shaped loaves in the baking pans, cover with damp cloth and let rise again for approx an hour.

Bake in preheated 400F oven for about 30 to 35 mins.

That's about it... I haven't tried it yet but you can substitute the brown sugar with 1/2 cup of molasses which would make you Molasses Whole Wheat Bread.  I'll try this change some day soon and share the results.  I'd love to hear what other breads people are making or how they make their whole wheat bread.

Since it's well into 2009 now I thought I'd put down some of our plans for the Urban Homestead.  First though, some accomplishments from 2008.

We expanded the garden and learned how to preserve the basics of our vegetable garden.  We made 24 bottles of salsa and froze onions, carrots, beans and peppers.  After this experience we now have a better understanding of planning a garden for specific yields and times. 

We built a compost bin out of used wood pallets.  This was a fun project and we already have plans to add another to double capacity.  It took a night to build after supper with my 5yr old son helping along.  He is really into composting and helps keep our kitchen compost bin full.  Can't wait to use the fresh compost in the garden this spring.

Personally I learned how to make bread from scratch as well as pies, apple pies being my favorite!  This was a fun experience and we now make our own whole wheat bread regularly.  My 5yr old helps along as well and enjoys the process.  It's nice to see him learn where food comes from, the garden, and also involved in the process of baking.

Now that we have 2 summers under our belt, we are expanding the vegetable garden again.  We have ordered in 2 seed catalogs and are ready to plan/order for the spring.  I'll be starting seedlings indoors where applicable to get a head start.  More on garden planning to come....

We will also plant 2 or 3 Cortland apple trees this spring.  I'm investigating dwarf apple trees as I've read about them online.  We will also plant strawberries, blackberries, gooseberries and raspberries this year.  Not sure how much we'll get out of them this year, but the plan is to keep on them and eventually have enough for jams and preserves in the coming years. 

We already have a rain barrel for water collection but I'm putting together a better system to collect from both sides of the house and will run drip lines to keep things hydrated.  If money allows, we also plan on fencing in the backyard with a nice 6ft hemlock fence.  This wood is harvested locally and has the same rot resistant properties as cedar but less expensive.  It ages beautifully and should give a bit more privacy and a place for the fruit vines to climb along the edges.

We have many other plans but to start you have to at least put things down on paper.  This is a start and I'll be writing and posting pictures of each project as we go.  My wife is taking professional photography now so there's no excuse to have good pictures of our progress ;o)  Till then... cheers.