Okay, so I’ve been on this huge baking kick lately, and I’ve been trying to, you know, make things a little healthier. I kept seeing “Great Harvest” bread popping up, and it looked so good and hearty. So, I decided to figure out what makes it tick – basically, what ingredients are they using?
First, I started with a basic online search. I just typed in “Great Harvest ingredients” to see what would pop up. I found some general info, but nothing super specific.
Digging a Little Deeper
Then, I went straight to the source – the Great Harvest website. I figured they’d have some ingredient lists, and they did! But, it was kind of general, like “freshly milled whole wheat flour.” Okay, cool, but what kind of whole wheat? Where’s it from?
So, I had to get a bit creative. I started looking at copycat recipes. You know, those recipes online where people try to recreate famous dishes? Bingo!
Here’s what I started piecing together from a bunch of different sources:
- Flour: It’s mostly about that freshly milled whole wheat. Some recipes even suggested using a mix of whole wheat and a little bit of bread flour to get the right texture.
- Water: Obviously! But some recipes emphasized using filtered water, maybe for better taste?
- Yeast: Active dry yeast seems to be the standard.
- Honey:This acts as a sweetener,And, from the recipes and info, it seemed like a decent amount of honey, not just a tiny bit.
- Salt: Again, a necessity, for flavor and controlling the yeast.
- Optional Stuff: This is where it gets interesting. Some recipes add things like:
- Oil: (like canola or vegetable oil) for a softer crumb.
- Vital Wheat Gluten: To give the bread extra structure, especially if the whole wheat flour is lower in protein.
- Seeds & Grains: Some loaves have sunflower seeds, flax seeds, or other grains mixed in for texture and flavor.
My Experiment Begins!
Based on all this research, I decided to try my own version. I used:
- Mostly whole wheat flour (I used King Arthur, because that’s what I had).
- A little bit of bread flour.
- Filtered water.
- Active dry yeast.
- A good amount of honey (local, because why not?).
- Salt.
- A touch of canola oil.
I mixed it all up, kneaded it (which, let me tell you, is a workout!), let it rise, and baked it. It wasn’t exactly like Great Harvest, but it was pretty darn close! The bread was dense, chewy, and had that slightly sweet, nutty flavor. I even added some sunflower seeds to one loaf, just to see how it would turn out.
The Verdict
So, while I don’t have the exact Great Harvest ingredient list and proportions, I feel like I got a pretty good handle on the basics. It’s all about good quality whole wheat flour, honey, and then some optional additions depending on the specific loaf. Now I want to try experimenting with different types of whole wheat flour and maybe even milling my own – wish me luck!
