Buttermilk Wheat Bread

This week has been cold and rainy. I'm talking 65 degree or less cold since Sunday. So this week I'm baking lots of different breads. Not that I don't bake bread all the time anyway, but if it's warm out, I'll just put together my go-to French bread and that's the end of it. When it's cold, I guess I want to hang around my oven a lot. Thus, I found for you the Pullman bread, and now, this one. This came from Beth Hensperger's bread machine cookbook, which I know some of you have as well, and it was good fresh from the oven and as peanut butter sandwiches the next day. It also held together very well for toasting - excellent for breakfast with your eggs, if that's what you love!

BUTTERMILK WHEAT BREAD

1-1/2 cups buttermilk OR
1-12 cups water plus 6 tbsp buttermilk powder
3 tbsp vegetable oil
3 tbsp maple syrup
2 cups whole wheat flour (I used white wheat)
2 cups white flour
2 tsp salt
3 tsp or 6 tsp yeast

Put the ingredients in the bread machine to mix, or mix following my directions (see side bar). After the first rise, punch down, form into loaves and put into loaf pans. Brush with the egg wash from the Pullman Bread, if desired, let the loaves rise again, and bake at 350F (375 for metal pans) about 25 minutes, until the bread has reached your desired darkness. Makes 2 loaves.

Note that the maple flavor was not very strong in this bread, so I think I'd add a teaspoon or two of maple extract the next time. Other than that, this bread has nice flavor. Thor loved it with his peanut butter and vitamins, too (OK, you don't have to tell me that dogs love peanut butter and anything).