Easy 4 Ingredient Bread Made with Fresh Milled Flour

My family absolutely loves this easy 4 ingredient bread made with fresh milled flour. I make this bread quite often as both baguettes or in a loaf pan. It works great in either form. This bread tastes like an Italian bread loaf, especially when formed into a baguette. I have a special place in my heart for this recipe, because this is the recipe that allowed me to grow my skills and knowledge exponentially! I came up with with recipe myself towards the middle of the first year of my journey of learning all about fresh milled flour. Because this is a basic recipe, with so few ingredients, it can be used as a base for so many different breads. When I learned this information, everything just exploded up from there!

Italian Bread Loaf Variation with Fresh Milled Kamut & Hard White Wheat

I love to alter this recipe just a bit to make this taste more like an Italian Bread loaf. So, to get the Italian Bread Version – I will use this exact recipe, but I will use 3/4 cups of Kamut berries(180g) and 1&2/3 cup of hard white wheat berries (280g), instead of ALL Hard White Wheat. And, I will shape them into long baguette loaves. Lastly, I make sure I spray the loaves with water, and spray some water in the oven as I am putting the bread in.

Why This Recipe Should Be In Your Recipe Arsenal:

• Easy to Remember! This recipe is the first bread recipe that I was able to easily remember. And I know it by heart!
• This recipe can be easily adapted or altered to many different breads
• Such a great recipe to start out with, because it is so basic, there is less to go wrong
• It is so simple, it just lets your ingredients shine, nothing overpowering. There is something so delightful about just a simple bread!
• This bread is fantastic even with just butter or a simple flavored dipping oil
• It uses only 4 ingredients, so it is les expensive to make, and no specialty ingredients are needed!
• Stays fresh mush longer than enriched bread (milk &/or eggs added)
• This by default is also a Vegan Friendly Recipe
• Also, no dairy or eggs means this bread is more allergy friendly
• It just plain old tastes delicious!

Ingredients Needed For This Easy 4 Ingredient Bread Made With Fresh Milled Flour Recipe:

To make this easy 4 ingredient bread, I don’t count water as an ingredient, as most have access to water. This will give you 2 loafs that can be shaped or baked in a bread tin.

1. 1&1/2 cup of warm water
2. 1&1/2 tsp salt
3. 3 TBSP Olive Oil
4. 3&1/2-4 cups of freshly milled flour. 460g (I grind 2&1/3 cup of hard white wheat)
5. 2&1/4 tsp yeast (or 1 packet) instant yeast

You can use other grains to make your flour, I have experimented with many combos, I will elaborate on further down below.

Instructions For Making The 4 Ingredient Bread

1. Mill the flour
2. Warm your water, and pour it in your mixer
3. Add the salt and olive oil, mix
4. Next, add your flour. Mix to incorporate, then I like to let it sit for about 10 minutes. This allows the fresh milled flour to absorb the water.
5. After the 10 minutes, add yeast, then start kneading on level 2.
6. Knead for about 10 minutes, and do the window pane test. (See below about the window pane test)
7. If the window pane test fails, (it breaks easily) Keep kneading until it passes the test. I have had it take up to 25 minutes, so don’t be discouraged, and don’t try to rush this process!
8. After the dough passes the test, cover and let it sit room temperature for about 1 to 2 hours.
9. Next, take the dough out of the bowl, and onto a work surface or table.
10. I like to lightly oil my table instead of using extra flour.
11. Push the air out of the dough and flatten it.
12. Divide dough into 2 equal portions, then shape your dough as you prefer. See my video for shaping
13. Cover and let rise for about 40 minutes, or until it passes the “Poke” test (See below for poke test)
14. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F
15. Spray your loaf and oven with water, and bake for about 25-30 minutes, or until your dough reaches at least 190 degrees F.
16. Remove from pan right away (be careful not to burn yourself) and let cool. Enjoy!

Nothing smells better than fresh baked bread!

Can You Mix Two Flours Together?

Yes! You can mix two flours together, In fact, I recommend experiment with it! I almost always use at least two different kinds of whole grain flours when I am baking something. Some great combos to try are 65% Hard White Wheat Flour and 35% Kamut Flour. This is the combo I prefer most for this Easy 4 Ingredient Bread Recipe. With something like muffins, I really like to use 50% Soft White Wheat & 50% Spelt. You can check out my muffin recipes here. Of course there are endless combinations out there, so feel free to experiment on your own!

Does Oil Or Butter make for Softer Bread?

Oil makes for a softer bread, because oil stays liquid at room temperature, unlike butter. Therefore, the bread stays softer. My oil of preference in bread is olive oil.

How Do You Improve The Quality Of Freshly Milled Wheat Flour?

Improving the quality of fresh milled wheat for flour, actually has more to do with the technique and method, rather than the wheat flour itself. I most cases, freshly milled wheat flour requires a longer kneading time than regular commercial flours. These commercial flours have the bran and germ removed. (These are the healthy parts of the wheat berry/kernel – I have explained that more here.)

Often times, while working with fresh milled flour, your bread could turn out dense of heavy. I am here to tell you fresh milled bread does not need to be dense of heavy!

Why Is My Homemade Bread So Heavy?

When making fresh milled homemade bread, make sure you knead it until it reaches the window pane test and passes. Kneading times vary anywhere from 5 to 25 minutes, so this windowpane test is the only true way to know that your bread has been kneaded for the appropriate amount of time.

Under kneaded bread is the #1 reason for dense or heavy homemade bread with fresh milled wheat. The second reason is normally cause by under proofed bread dough. Typical bread dough need a first rise for about 1-2 hours, and an additional second rise after shaping. The second rise is usually about 40 mins – 1 hour. You should preform the “Poke” test to ensure the loaf is ready to bake.

What Is The “Poke” Test?

The poke test is the easiest and best way to know if your bread loaf is ready to bake. To preform this test, lightly wet, flour, or oil your index finger. Then, gently poke your bread dough about 1/2 inch. If the indent stays, then your bread is ready to be put in the hot oven. If it springs back out quickly, it need to rise a little longer.

My Sandwich Bread Is A Little Different Than My Easy 4 Ingredient Bread, Both Made With Fresh Milled Flour!

Level Up Your Bread Game!

Level up your bread game with this delicious Dipping Oil Recipe! I love to make this with dried herbs and seasonings to use up things I already have on hand. But, if I have access to fresh herbs, I will use those. HERE is that recipe!

Easy 4 Ingredient Bread Made With Fresh Milled Flour

This easy 4 ingredient bread made with fresh milled flour video was actually one of my first videos, so hopefully you can see some improvement from me now.

Here Are Some Of My Fresh Milled Flour Recipes

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

Waffles Made With Spelt

Handmade Kamut Pasta Noodles

Kolaches 2 Ways

Christmas Star Bread

Fresh Milled Flour Recipes

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Easy 4 Ingredient Bread Made With Fresh Milled Flour Printable Recipe

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