My last post brought to mind this great passage from the introduction to the Laurel's Kitchen Bread Book (the authors of which are not Mormon) about the wheat kernel:

"There it sits- a single kernel of wheat, maybe three sixteenths of an inch long, creased along one side and rounded on the other. At the bottom nestles a tiny oval compartment, the minute beginning of the plants rebirth, called the germ. Above the germ is the endosperm, a protein- and calorie-rich food reservoir that will fuel the plant as it germinates. Enveloping both is a hard seed coat, impermeable for decades to anything but the warmth and moisture that will bring the seed to life."

"What's so marvelous about this simple structure is that everything that helps the grain preserve and reproduce itself also suits the needs of human beings and animals superbly well. It comes close to being a complete food, needing to be supplemented only by small amounts of animal products and/or legumes, and the leafy green and yellow vegetables that almost any environment between the polar caps will provide in some form. The same hard seed coat that protects the seed's capacity to reproduce itself has also made possible for humankind the almost indefinitely long storage of a wholesome food supply."

Still with me? Here's the part that made me cry, yes, cry the first time I read it:

"There are those who can look on this kind of arrangement and keep their wits about them. There are others who can't conceive of it as anything but a sure, small sign of some larger benevolence, hidden deep behind the appearance of things- and who feel, too, that nothing could be more fitting in response than to summon up all that is skilled and artful in themselves to bake a fine, high-rising loaf of uncompromisingly whole-grain bread."

I was raised on whole wheat bread, my mom made it all the time, and taught me to make it at a young age. I LOVE whole wheat bread, and I have a sandwich bread recipe that's like a miracle, it's 100% whole wheat, very soft and moist, not at all crumbly. You can take a slice and fold it in half without it breaking. You can find that recipe on this blog.

But.... last fall I discovered no-knead breadmaking. What a revelation! It's so simple, you mix four ingredients- flour, yeast, water and salt, let them sit for a couple of hours, throw it in the fridge, and then at anytime over the next two weeks you can break off a hunk of dough and have a fresh, crusty, tender artisan loaf in about an hour. So that's how I, a lifelong whole wheat only lover, got seduced by white bread. I intially tried to substitute whole wheat, but the results were so dismal I gave up. But this week I decided to give it another try, and after several failures, finally have a pretty good working recipe. It needs a bit of tweaking yet, but it's very good as is. You can find it here. I doubled the yeast, and used more gluten, 40 grams total, but otherwise followed it as written. Now I have the best of both worlds, whole grain, and almost no work. It's healthier for me, and more in line with my own religious "health code", as found in Section 89 of the Doctrine and Covenants:

10 And again, verily I say unto you, all wholesome herbs God hath ordained for the constitution, nature, and use of man—

11 Every herb in the season thereof, and every fruit in the season thereof; all these to be used with prudence and thanksgiving.

12 Yea, flesh also of beasts and of the fowls of the air, I, the Lord, have ordained for the use of man with thanksgiving; nevertheless they are to be used sparingly;

13 And it is pleasing unto me that they (animals) should not be used, only in times of winter, or of cold, or famine.

14 All grain is ordained for the use of man and of beasts, to be the staff of life, not only for man but for the beasts of the field, and the fowls of heaven, and all wild animals that run or creep on the earth;

15 And these hath God made for the use of man only in times of famine and excess of hunger.

16 All grain is good for the food of man; as also the fruit of the vine; that which yieldeth fruit, whether in the ground or above the ground—

17 Nevertheless, wheat for man, and corn for the ox, and oats for the horse, and rye for the fowls and for swine, and for all beasts of the field, and barley for all useful animals, and for mild drinks, as also other grain.

Most people know that Mormons don't drink smoke, and don't drink alcohol or coffee. What most people don't know, is that besides banning things that are bad for you, the Word of Wisdom also tells you what a healthy diet should look like. Looking at the highlighted portions above, our diet should consist chiefly of grain, specifically wheat. In fact this is mentioned three times. Meat isn't abstained from, but used sparingly. This is repeated twice. Then herbs, or vegetables in season, and fruit in season. Even most members of the church focus solely on the alcohol, tobacco, and coffee restrictions. But the promised blessings:

18 And all saints who remember to keep and do these sayings, walking in obedience to the commandments, shall receive health in their navel and marrow to their bones;

19 And shall find wisdom and great treasures of knowledge, even hidden treasures;

20 And shall run and not be weary, and shall walk and not faint.

21 And I, the Lord, give unto them a promise, that the destroying angel shall pass by them, as the children of Israel, and not slay them. Amen.

are so great, that it seems a wise thing to more closely examine and adhere to ALL of the admonitions contained in the Word of Wisdom. Now that I've got the whole wheat no-knead thing worked out our daily bread will once again be the staff of life it should be, and that makes me happy.