Chris’ Bran Bread is moist and full of goodness in every bite. It’s deliciously healthy, makes perfect toast, and is a snap to make in a bread machine.
Ingredients for Chris’ Bran Bread
I’ve been tweaking with this bread recipe for a number of years, and decided that I should update it. This is especially so given my relatively new Zojirushi bread machine.
I used the following ingredients: Filtered water, eggs, Kosher salt, olive oil, honey, wheat bran, bread flour, and yeast.
Making Chris’ Bran Bread:
Through the years in making this bread, I’ve learned several things. First, I weigh most of the ingredients. This is especially true with the combination of the eggs and water since not all eggs are created equal. Second, I use a minimal amount of yeast given the amount of flour and wheat bran. In fact, I use one-third of the amount of yeast that I originally started with. The reason for the reduced amount of yeast was that the Master Taste Tester asked that I “experiment” until the bread consistency was perfect for slicing. Finally, I “experimented” with the amount of wheat bran until it was maximized without sacrificing the consistency of the bread.
The reason that the bread is so easy to make is that the bread machine does most of the work. My job is to add all of the ingredients to the pan of the bread machine, and press start! Three hours and 40 minutes later, out comes a perfect loaf.
My Weighing Technique:
As I said, I weigh most of the ingredients that go into this amazing bread. Here’s how I do it:
- I put the bread pan on the kitchen scale, zero it out, add the egg, and then enough filtered water for the total weight to be 8.5 ounces. It’s important to use filtered water because chlorinated water tends to kill the yeast.
- I don’t bother weighing the salt.
- I zero the scale and add the olive oil. Then, I zero the scale and add the honey. The reason that I weigh the olive oil and honey is more for convenience than anything else. Both olive oil and honey are a bit messy with measuring spoons.
- I zero the scale, and add the Wheat Bran. There’s a lot of variability in the weight versus volume of the Wheat Bran.
- I zero the scale, and add the flour. There’s a ton of variability in the weight of flour versus a volume based measurement. For example, depending on how you measure flour, one cup can weigh anywhere from four ounces to six ounces.
- I don’t weigh the yeast.
After the bread cools, it’s ready for the Master Taste Tester to slice. I will say that he’s a master at slicing the bread! Yum!
- 2 large eggs lightly beaten, plus enough filtered water to equal 17 ounces (482 grams total) - See Notes 1 and 2
- 1 Tablespoon Kosher salt
- 2 Tablespoons (1 ounce, 28 grams) olive oil
- 2 Tablespoons (1.5 ounces, 43 grams) honey
- 1.8 ounces (51 grams) unprocessed Wheat Bran
- 24.6 ounces (697 grams) bread flour
- 1 teaspoon instant yeast
Place all ingredients into the pan of a bread machine, in the order listed. Program the machine for the regular cycle. If necessary, adjust the dough’s consistency with additional flour or water. Allow the machine to complete its cycle. Yield: One 2 3/4-pound (1 1/4 kg) loaf. See Note - 3.
- Note 1: Because eggs are of different sizes, I always use the weight of the eggs plus the water to reach the desired level of liquid.
- Note 2: Always use filtered water. Tap water contains chlorine which can kill the yeast.
- Note 3: Always weigh ingredients when making bread to ensure consistent results.
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