Getting Started 2: THE GREAT KITCHEN CLEAN-OUT!

It's Kitchen Clean-Out Time!

Take a day, a week, or a month – but get it done! Be prepared for a thorough clean-out of your refrigerator, freezer, and cupboards. You may be amazed at your discoveries. Always keep in mind the cumulative effects of the hidden sodium in many food products. A little here, a little there, and pretty soon you’ve exceeded your daily allotment – and it’s only lunchtime! Grab a giant garbage bag and get ready. As you are tossing bottles and jars, bags and boxes, make a list of those “must haves” – foods you use frequently. Those items are the lower sodium versions you should look for the next time you go shopping. Also include a list of low sodium items you need to purchase in order to modify pantry staples you already have on hand. The clean out is a great learning experience: you’ll become more aware of hidden sodium in many familiar foods, and you’ll know which low sodium products you need to shop for.

Check out your refrigerator:

Check all your condiments for sodium content – ketchup, mustard, barbecue sauce, soy sauce, hot sauce, chutney, steak sauce, etc. Condiments can be an unknown source of sodium, especially if you usually use more than a single serving size. So be prepared to toss some of them. Chances are that when you last purchased condiments, you probably didn’t spend much time analyzing the nutritional label, and, as a result, you may have inadvertently brought home those with the highest sodium content. Now is the time to start afresh. Add your favorite condiments to your “must have” list and look for lower sodium versions the next time you go shopping.

Don’t forget butter or buttery-type spreads. If you’re using a “lite” spread, it’s probably got a high sodium level. Food manufacturers hide the unpleasant flavors of the various gums and stabilizers that must be used to compensate for lower fat content by adding more salt and/or sugar. You may need to toss what you’ve got on hand. Try to find a spread that’s around 70 mg or lower per serving. Get rid of salted butter cubes and remember to buy some unsalted butter next time you shop.

Also check salad dressings, mayonnaise, dips, salsas, and cheese spreads. Vinaigrette dressings are easily modified. Just add your own vinegar and oil – two or three parts oil to one part vinegar – add directly to the bottle or combine altogether in another container. That will lower the sodium content considerably. But watch out for “lite” vinaigrette dressings. They, too, have added salt, gums, and stabilizers and probably won’t take well to modification. You can adjust creamy dressings rather easily. Every time you plan to serve a creamy dressing, mix the amount of a single serving size with equal parts sour cream/plain yogurt and a bit of water. You can do the same thing with creamy dips.

Jarred salsa may not need to be tossed. Next time you go shopping, just pick up a can of no-salt-added diced tomatoes. Drain the diced tomatoes, reserving the juice, and add them to the salsa. If it’s too chunky, add a bit of the reserved tomato juice. Fresh salsa can be modified by buying some unsalted pico de gallo in the produce department and adding it to the prepared fresh salsa. You can always punch up the flavor of low sodium salsa at serving time by adding a squeeze of lime juice and chopped fresh cilantro.

Most grocery store mayonnaise brands range between 70-90 mgs. sodium per tablespoon. So you don’t have to toss your mayo jar – just remember to use it sparingly until it’s all gone and you can buy a brand with lower sodium content. That said, “lite” mayonnaise usually has more sodium, so it should be pitched. The same for Miracle Whip and its clones. Cheese spreads are difficult to modify and should probably be thrown out.

Check out your freezer:

Frozen dinners, pizzas, snacks, etc. are notorious for their high salt content. More than likely, you’ll need to get rid of all of those items or serve them only to other family members. To avoid waste, you might ask a friend or neighbor if they’d be interested in taking them off your hands.

Frozen vegetables should be OK as long as they aren’t prepared in a sauce. If the sauce is packaged separately, then simply throw it away and serve the vegetables plain. You may have bought frozen vegetables processed with salt – check the labels. You don’t necessarily need to toss them. Just cook them in 1½ - 2 times the water needed and drain. Be sure to rinse the cooked vegetables too. The excess cooking water and rinse should get rid of a lot of the sodium. Mark the packages of vegetables frozen with salt, so you’ll know which ones need special treatment. I usually stick a piece of blue painter’s tape on packages and write the word SALT with a Sharpie. Just remember next time you go shopping to read the labels on frozen vegetables more carefully.

Frozen uncooked chicken is a real problem. If you read the labels carefully, you’ll discover that most uncooked frozen chicken has been treated with a saline solution. There’s no really effective way to remove the salt. However, you can defrost the chicken, rinse it well, and then cook it without any added salt whatsoever – no packaged sauces, no spice blends that include salt, no breading mixes, etc. Then next time you buy chicken, read the label more carefully.

Check out your pantry:

Carefully go over all of your canned goods and mixes. The bad news is that canned soup, chili, etc. are high in sodium. They’ll probably need to go. The good news is food banks will appreciate these items. The other good news is that you could add unsalted chicken or beef broth to heat & serve canned soup or chili to make lower sodium (and very brothy) versions. You could also add some salt free vegetables or beans to lower the sodium content even more. You'll end up with a lower sodium content and possibly enough leftovers for another meal. Canned vegetables including canned beans can be treated like frozen salted vegetables – drain well and rinse thoroughly 2-3 times before serving. Believe it or not, canned tuna can be treated in a similar fashion. Drain the tuna, place in a fine mesh strainer, rinse well 1-2 times, and pat dry with paper towels. Next time you’re shopping, look for lower sodium products.

Canned spaghetti sauce is probably too salty to be used by itself, but there’s no need to toss it. Hold onto your jars, and pick up several cans of salt-free tomato sauce the next time you go shopping. Depending on how high the sodium content is, all you need to do is add 1-2 cans of salt-free tomato sauce to a regular jar of spaghetti sauce. That will bring down the sodium content considerably. Bump up the flavor by adding garlic and some fresh or dried herbs. Use up all the old jars of sauce and then carefully check labels before buying any new spaghetti sauce. And keep adding at least one can no-salt-added tomato sauce to any jarred spaghetti sauce you use.

Noodle, rice, and dry soup mixes may need to be given to food banks. It all depends on whether or not the sauce/flavoring mixtures are packaged separately. If they are, then you can either toss them altogether or use just ¼ to ⅓ of the packet. There are some low sodium versions of noodle/rice mixes. Look for them or just make side dishes from scratch.

Peanut butter is another hidden source of sodium. It’s best to remove what you have and purchase new jars of unsalted or very low sodium brands.

Canned and dry broth/stock products are notoriously high in sodium, but you may not have to throw out everything. Just remember when using regular liquid broth, to use half broth and half plain water. That will cut the sodium content considerably. Do the same with dry granules. Use 1/4 - 1/3 the recommended amount. Even grocery store low sodium broths can be too high, so cut them with water too. Next time you go shopping, look for no-salt-added broths/stocks.

Bread products can also be high in sodium. Rather than throw out the bread, bagels, and English muffins you have on hand, just be very careful with portion control. For example, if you’ve got a package of gigantic grocery store bagels, eat only half a bagel for breakfast. When you use up all your existing breadstuffs, then you can purchase lower sodium varieties.

Snacks like chips, pretzels, etc. are sodium busters. Because they’re so high in sodium, it’s best to just toss them or give away. There’s no way to easily bring down their sodium content.

Cereal is another product to watch out for. If your cereal has more than 250 mgs. per cup, you might want to toss it. If you chose to keep it, be sure to stick with the recommended serving size and measure carefully. You could also combine a favorite cereal with a salt-free cereal to lower the overall sodium content. The sweetness of most cereals is deceptive. Our brains tell us the taste is sweet, therefore no salt is involved. Of course, that isn’t the case at all.

Cakes and cookies are like breakfast cereals. They taste sweet, so we assume there’s little if any sodium in them. However, most baked products contain a lot of sodium. If it’s made from a yeast dough, then salt was used to regulate the yeast activity. If it’s a muffin or cake, then baking powder and/or baking soda have been used as leavening. Both those products rely on sodium bicarbonate, a salt. If the sweet baked goods are your favorite treat, then keep them and watch your serving size. If possible, lessen your serving size. Remember: the less you eat, the lower your sodium intake will be.

Check out your spice drawer:

This is another source of hidden sodium. Spice mixes or blends like chili, flavored “peppers,” steak or grilling seasonings can be horribly salty. Toss every mix that includes salt as an ingredient. Be sure to add your favorite seasoning blends to your “must have” list so you can look for salt-free versions the next time you go shopping.


CONGRATULATIONS! You’re done! Give yourself a pat on the back. It was a lot of hard work, but along the way, you learned the truth about hidden sodium in foods. You also are better prepared for low sodium shopping trips. It’s time to grab your list and head out to the grocery store.

Getting Started 1: First Principles

Everyone who has been following a low sodium lifestyle for a while develops their own personalized list of helpful tips for others who are just beginning the journey.You'll find mine by clicking on the "Getting Started" tab at the top of this page. In case you haven't had an opportunity, please look it over.

When you first try to go low sodium, it's easy to get discouraged and confused. It often can be a daunting task. Sometimes you can get so bogged down calculating each tiny milligram of sodium that you run the risk of losing all your zest for life. Don't let that happen. Educate yourself about your low sodium needs, but also find out about yourself. Give yourself the time you need to get comfortable with eating and cooking low sodium. You'll discover which low sodium dishes taste good to you and which don't. You'll find out what you're willing to do (and eat) in order to follow a low sodium diet. You'll "test-drive" all sorts of low sodium products and determine which ones you want to buy over & over again. After all, it's YOUR low sodium program. So it's got to fit you and your unique personality.

Click here for my list of helpful tips for beginners: Getting Started

Baking Low Sodium Bread - Favorite Buns and Rolls - Part 7

As promised, here are some of my favorite low sodium buns and rolls recipes. I keep the individual rolls in my freezer. That way I’ve always got the makings for a quick breakfast or lunch. Please note that I always decrease the salt and yeast amounts accordingly. Other than with bagels, the dough for rolls should be fairly soft, so I try very hard to not add too much flour to the dough. That’s especially true when working with whole wheat flour. I usually hold back anywhere from 2 tablespoons to ¼ cup of whole wheat flour and only add more during kneading if the dough seems excessively sticky. And to avoid incorporating too much flour, I always shape the rolls on a Silpat mat. During shaping, I cover the dough I’m not using with a piece of plastic wrap to keep it from drying out.

Bagels

I love them! But the ones you can buy at grocery stores are always disappointing. Soft and fluffy instead of dense and chewy. That’s the real reason why I wanted to make them myself. Lowering the salt content was a side benefit. Although there are several steps, making bagels is a rather simple process. I just dump the ingredients in my Zojirushi and let it do all the hard work. It easily handles the rather dense dough. Then it’s simply a matter of shaping, boiling, and baking. Sounds like a lot of work, but it is worth it. The bagels come out properly chewy and are fabulous toasted. King Arthur Flour has several good recipes. I use the one for water bagels. The recipe calls for malted milk powder. I’m able to find Carnation brand at my local grocery stores. Other recipes call for non-diastatic malt . This is what professional bagel makers use. I bought some and use it sometimes too.

The only real change I have made to the recipe (other than reducing both salt and yeast quantities) is to use only 2 tablespoons of malt in the dough. Depending on my mood, I sometimes substitute 1-2 cups of white whole wheat flour. Because whole wheat flour has a tendency to suck up moisture, I may end up adding a tablespoon or more of water to the dough during the kneading phase.

Sandwich/Hamburger Buns

I really like the recipe for White Sourdough Bread from Beth Hensperger’s “The Bread Lover’s Bread Machine Cookbook.” I make dough for the two pound loaf and divide into 12 pieces for wonderfully light yet chewy sandwich buns. The buns are sturdy and not squishy soft, so they hold up to drippy toppings and sauces. They’re also not very sweet.

I let my machine knead and rise the dough. Then I weigh the dough ball and divide by 12. Once I get an approximate weight for individual dough pieces, I divide the dough ball up, weigh and adjust each piece, roll the pieces into balls, place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, and flatten them. Depending on my mood, I may brush the rolls with cream or an egg wash. If I use an egg wash, I might sprinkle sesame or poppy seeds on the top too. They’re baked at 400 degrees for about 20-25 minutes.

These buns really lend themselves to flavor additions. My favorites are dried onion flakes and either dill seed or caraway seed. Another combination I like is chopped fresh rosemary and coarsely ground black pepper.

White Sourdough Buns
Beth Hensperger
(Printable Recipe)
2-pound dough:
1 cup sourdough starter
¾ cup fat-free milk
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2 tablespoons honey
4 cups bread flour
2 teaspoons salt (I use 1 tsp)
2¼ teaspoons bread machine yeast (I use 1 1/8 tsp)

When I want a softer bun, I use King Arthur Flour’s recipe for Beautiful Burger Buns. These are soft and slightly sweet and enriched by egg. Another good recipe from King Arthur is Soft Sandwich Rolls. These soft rolls are made with potato flour or flakes.

Dinner Rolls

I like having dinner rolls in my freezer. Sometimes a meal seems rather skimpy, but just adding a warm dinner roll makes it special. Their small size makes them perfect for quick snacks too. Not hungry enough for a full sandwich? A dinner roll is the perfect size for a mini sandwich or slider.

I generally follow the same procedure as for sandwich buns. I let my machine knead and rise the dough. Then I weigh the dough ball and divide by 15. Once I get an approximate weight for individual dough pieces, I divide the dough ball up, weigh and adjust each piece, roll the pieces into balls, and place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Depending on my mood, I may brush the rolls with cream or an egg wash. They’re baked at 375 degrees for about 15-20 minutes. I transfer them to a cooling rack and separate them before freezing.

I mainly make whole wheat rolls, so I usually hold back anywhere from 2 tablespoons to ¼ cup of whole wheat flour and only add more during kneading if the dough seems excessively sticky. Also, because whole wheat flour has a tendency to suck up moisture, I may end up adding a tablespoon or more of water to the dough during the kneading phase.

I discovered this recipe from Hodgson Mills quite a while ago. I was searching for another way to get bran into our diets. I like bran muffins but sometimes get tired of the sweetness. I was looking for something more like a yeast bread. This recipe for High Fiber Bran Bread was written for the bread machine, but I make it into dinner rolls. A couple of these rolls warmed up in the microwave and spread with a bit of butter are a perfect bran-filled breakfast. I always add 2 tablespoons vital wheat gluten to the dough.

Here’s another great recipe from King Arthur Flour. These Honey Wheat Rolls are wonderful. The dough is soft and pliable and the resulting rolls are tender and moist. It’s a white flour and whole wheat flour combination. I think it would make great cinnamon roll dough too.

Pizza Dough

My favorite recipe for pizza dough comes from Beth Hensperger’s book. I’ve been using it since I first tried it. I let my machine do all the work – kneading & rising. For just the two of us, I usually divide the dough in thirds and make pizza three days in a row. A great and easy meal. I pre-heat my oven about thirty minutes at 450-475 degrees with the pizza stone on the lowest rack. I roll the dough out and stretch it over an upside down mixing bowl. I then place it on a parchment lined wooden pizza peel. Once the oven is sufficiently pre-heated, I slip the pizza with the parchment onto the stone and let it bake for about 8 minutes. Then I remove the parchment and let the pizza finish baking directly on the stone. I like this method better than baking in a pizza pan or trying to use cornmeal to keep the dough from sticking to the peel. After an additional 4-6 minutes baking, the crust should be crisp and brown. I remove it with the peel, slice, and serve.

Basic Pizza Dough
Beth Hensperger
(Printable Recipe)

1 1/3 cups water
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
3 ½ cups all purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1 ½ teaspoon salt (cut quantity in half)
2 ½ teaspoons bread machine yeast (cut quantity in half)


So there you have it. Some of my favorite recipes. And now I think it’s time to say farewell to this missive about making low sodium bread. But, I know I’ll always be experimenting and trying new recipes. And I’ll be sure to share them with you. Happy baking!

Baking Low Sodium Bread Series:

Part 1 – Introduction  

Part 2 – Beginning Basics

Part 3 – Getting Started

Part 4 – Keeping It Fresh

Part 5 – Without a Bread Machine

Part 6 – Favorite Bread Recipes

Part 7 – Favorite Buns and Rolls

Low Sodium Bread – Demystified

Baking Low Sodium Bread - Favorite Bread Recipes - Part 6

I’m almost done with this epic tome on low sodium bread making. In this post, I’ll share some of my favorite bread recipes. They’re all low sodium because I make them that way. I’ve mentioned before several times that I prefer to use regular bread recipes and reduce the salt content myself rather than follow recipes found in low sodium cookbooks or websites. There are a couple of reasons why I prefer doing this: one reason is that I like the variety of flavors and techniques offered by recipes from bread cookbooks, websites (such as King Arthur Flour), and other sources that focus on yeast breads. They’ve got the bread expertise because that’s what they concentrate on. I think their information is sound. Another reason is that I simply don’t trust some of the lower sodium bread recipes I’ve seen. The yeast quantity seems too high for salt free breads, and often times, the role of salt in yeast breads is completely misrepresented.

In this post I will reference several favorite recipes. I will post them as written (or link to them) and indicate my adjustments in parentheses or notes. I’ve made all these recipes at least twice and some several times. I think they’re fine, but you may not be as impressed as I am.

Rustic, Artisan, or Hearth Breads:

Let me be perfectly honest here. These are the hardest breads to successfully make with lowered salt content. The reason is simple: These breads are way too plain – just flour, salt, yeast, and water. That’s it. No flavor components other than salt, and as a result, these breads are usually made with more salt than other breads. So when you take away all or even just part of the salt, you end up with bread that is flat and tasteless.

That’s why I heartily recommend using recipes that utilize an overnight starter – a polish, biga, sponge, pre-ferment – whatever you want to call it. That overnight fermentation period adds a lot of flavor to what could otherwise be pretty bland bread.

Making these breads can be a daunting affair. Getting that crispy, crackly, blistered crust with some interior holes takes time, patience and some skill. But it’s not as complicated as it sounds. You just mix up the pre-ferment, let it sit overnight, and then add it to the rest of the dough ingredients the next day. If you can let the dough have a long, slow, cool rise another night too, then the flavor is even better. Not really a lot of work involved. However, you’ll be working with a fairly wet dough and that might involve a bit of a learning curve.

I do not make completely salt-free artisan bread; I only reduce the salt content by half. Otherwise, I think the flavor suffers too much. I know traditional Tuscan Bread is made without salt. But that’s because it’s meant to be eaten with salty foods like salami, cheese, etc. That’s great if you’re not on a low sodium diet. But offsetting the bland taste of salt free bread by piling on a bunch of salty cheeses and meats is not acceptable on a low sodium regimen.

Artisan breads, however, really lend themselves to flavor embellishments. That’s something the home baker can easily do to perk up flavor. Take your inspiration from the artisan breads you find at your local grocery store or bakery – roasted garlic cloves, rosemary, crushed black pepper, green onions or chives, sun dried tomatoes, chopped jalapenos, etc. And all kinds of seeds and nuts. Any of these and other flavor additions will spice up a dull loaf. I prefer to sprinkle on chunky additions during the folding phase of shaping these kinds of breads, rather than throw them in during the kneading cycle of my bread machine. That way I end up with lovely ribbons of flavorful “stuff” rippling throughout the finished loaf.

You can also add a tablespoon of vinegar to boost the flavor of these simple loaves. The vinegar adds a tang that helps make up for the missing salt. You could also use ⅛ – ¼ teaspoon of citric acid  to also add some tang. This is the ingredient many commercial sourdough bakers use to boost the sour flavor in their product. Here it is used in a King Arthur Flour sourdough bread recipe.

This recipe from Alton Brown produces a basic artisan-type bread. The recipe discusses techniques that are worthwhile mastering: making a pre-ferment, using the autolyse method, applying the folding technique often used in shaping artisan breads, shaping a dough round, and producing steam in the home oven.

I’ve made this several times, reducing the salt quantity by half. I let either the food processor or bread machine do the kneading. The 20 minute rest (autolyse) after combining the pre-ferment with the other dough ingredients is not always easily accomplished with a bread machine. It’s no problem with my Zojirushi because I can simply turn the machine off after just a few minutes of the slow initial kneading cycle and then start it again, canceling the pre-heat cycle. Other machines may not accommodate skipping cycles as easily.

I try not to use too much flour, preferring a rather slack dough. I do not let the dough rise in the machine. I take it out after the kneading has finished, place it in a dough bucket, and let it rise slowly in a cool place. Sometimes I just stick the dough bucket in the fridge and don’t get around to making the bread until a day or two later. The long, slow rise improves flavor. To insure that I don’t add too much flour, I shape the dough on a Silpat and rub my hands with oil. After shaping, I place it on a parchment paper topped wooden pizza peel. I preheat my oven with its baking stone for at least 30 minutes before sliding the bread with the parchment onto the heated stone. I have never used the cornstarch wash Alton describes. I also don’t use the shallow pan with hot water. I slash the shaped dough and spritz with water before placing in a 425 degree oven. Then I quickly open the oven every 3 minutes to spray again; I stop the spritzing after about eight minutes. Then I turn the heat down to Alton’s 400 degrees and continue baking. About halfway through the baking, I open the oven to remove the parchment paper and let the bread finish baking directly on the stone.

Using a Silpat, parchment paper, and spritzing are techniques I’ve developed from studying various recipes, personal experience, and reading about bread making on GardenWeb's Cooking Forum, King Arthur Flour.com, and other websites. They’re techniques that I’m comfortable with now. Other fabulous bread bakers use different but equally helpful methods. My suggestion is to investigate the “French and Italian” bread recipe section of King Arthur Flour. Read the recipes, study the pictures, follow the links to their “Bakers’ Banter,” and get a feel for making these kinds of breads. Another helpful source is The Fresh Loaf. It’s got lots of recipes techniques and discussion about making artisan breads. You’re sure to pick up some helpful hints.

Another good basic recipe I’ve used several times is this  French-Style Country Bread from King Arthur Flour. It’s another hearth style bread made with a sponge starter. It uses a similar resting technique as outlined above in Alton Brown’s recipe. This autolyse rest period really does help the bread and is easy to accomplish with a food processor, stand mixer, and some bread machines. This recipe sprays the loaves with water before baking to achieve the steam so necessary for artisan loaves.

If you’re interested in a quick artisan-like bread, this  Easy Sourdough French Bread from About.com is not too bad. It approximates the flavor of sourdough bread by using sour cream or yogurt and some vinegar. Because of the dairy addition, it will be much more tender than real artisan bread, but it will have a good flavor. And it doesn’t need any overnight fermenting. I’ve made it a couple of times starting out with just 4 – 4 ¼ cups of flour. Since non-fat yogurt is more sour tasting than sour cream, that’s what I’ve used. I’ve never included the oat bran, ginger, or the glaze. And I bake it directly on a stone rather than in a pan. Sometimes I slash and sometimes I don’t.

Whole Grain Breads:

For all of these breads, I let my bread machine do most of the work – combine the ingredients, knead, and let the dough rise. Most of the time I prefer to shape and bake the loaves in my oven. I try not to let the shaped dough overproof. I aim for getting it into the oven just before it has doubled. Just a reminder, I always halve the amounts of yeast and salt. And I always add at least a tablespoon of vital wheat gluten and granular lecithin.

I’m a sucker for cracked wheat breads, and I’m happy to say I found a real winner at Taste of Home. It uses buttermilk, honey, and whole wheat flour too. I usually oven bake it in a 9” x 5” pan.

I’m also a sucker for oatmeal breads. I’ve made this Old Fashioned Oatmeal Bread from King Arthur Flour. It turns out soft and fluffy with a delicately sweet flavor. Another favorite oatmeal bread recipe is from Annie of GardenWeb's Cooking Forum. Coffee is used as the liquid but there’s no overpowering taste. It’s a nice sweet loaf, perfect for breakfast toast. Just a reminder, as always, I halve the yeast and salt amounts, and I do the kneading in my bread machine.


MAPLE OATMEAL BREAD
(Printable Recipe)
Annie1992 from GardenWeb's Cooking Forum

3 – 3 ¼ cups bread flour
1 package dry yeast - 2 ¼ tsp (I use 1 1/8 tsp)
¾ cup prepared coffee
1/2 cup quick cooking rolled oats (I use old fashioned rolled oats)
½ (scant) cup maple syrup
2 tbsp. butter
1 tsp salt (I use 1/2 tsp)
1 egg

Combine a cup of flour and the yeast. Heat coffee, oats, syrup, butter and salt until just warm and butter is almost melted. Add to flour mixture along with egg. Beat with electric mixer on low for 30 seconds. Beat on high speed for 3 minutes. Using a wooden spoon, stir in as much of the remaining flour as you can.

Turn dough out onto lightly floured surface, knead in enough remaining flour to make a moderately soft dough that is smooth and elastic (3-5 minutes kneading). Shape dough into a ball, place in lightly greased bowl, and turn over once to grease surface of dough. Cover and let rise in a warm place until double in size, about an hour.

Punch down dough, cover and let rest 10 minutes. Meanwhile lightly grease a 9x5x3 inch loaf pan. Shape dough into a loaf and place into prepared pan, cover and let rise in a warm place until NEARLY double in size (30 to 45 minutes). Bake at 350 F about 30 minutes or until bread sounds hollow when lightly tapped. Remove from pan immediately and cool on wire rack. Makes 1 loaf (14 slices)

I have more than one “favorite” whole wheat bread recipe. I use them interchangeably, depending on my mood. They all make lovely, soft and tender loaves. This 100% Whole Wheat Bread from King Arthur is great. It uses orange juice plus milk for liquid. The addition of potato flakes and dried milk makes for a very tender crumb. Below is another similar recipe from one of the Cooking Forum members. It uses honey rather than sugar for sweetening.

HONEY WHOLE WHEAT BREAD
(Printable Recipe)
Momj47 from GardenWeb's Cooking Forum

3-1/2 to 4 cups all purpose flour (I use bread flour)
2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour (I use KA White WW)
2 pkg. active dry yeast - 4½ tsp (I halve the yeast)
2 T vital wheat gluten
1 1/2 tsp salt (I use 3/4 tsp)
1 cup milk
1/3 cup orange juice
2/3 cup water
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup butter
1 egg

In large bowl, combine 2 cups all-purpose flour, 1 cup whole wheat flour, yeast, vital wheat gluten and salt and mix well.

In saucepan, heat milk, orange juice, water, honey, and butter until warm. Add to flour mixture with egg and stir. Beat this batter for 3 minutes. Then, gradually stir in rest of whole wheat flour and enough remaining all-purpose (bread) flour for a firm dough. (I prefer a softer dough)

Knead dough, adding more flour if necessary, for 5-8 minutes until smooth. Place dough in a greased bowl, turning to grease the top. Cover and let rise in a warm place about 1 hour, until doubled.

Punch down dough and divide in half. On lightly floured surface, press each piece of dough to a 14x7" rectangle. Starting with shorter side, roll up tightly. Pinch edges to seal and place dough, seam-side down, into two greased 9x5" bread pans, making sure short ends of bread are snugly fitted against the sides of the pans. Cover and let rise in warm place until the dough fills the corners of the pans and is double in bulk, 30-40 minutes.

Bake in preheated 375 degree oven for 35-40 minutes, until bread is golden brown. Remove from pans and cool on wire racks. Makes two loaves.

The next whole wheat bread recipe is a contribution from another member of the Cooking Forum. It uses a sponge. I just tried it for the first time last week and was really pleased with the texture and taste. I think it would make good hamburger buns or dinner rolls too. It’s less sweet than most whole wheat bread recipes, which I like. Again, I halved both the salt and yeast quantities.

100% WHOLE WHEAT BREAD
(Printable Recipe)
Grainlady from GardenWeb's Cooking Forum

Sponge:
¾ c. lukewarm buttermilk (I used dried)
¾ c. lukewarm water
2½ c. whole wheat
¼ t. ascorbic acid
2 t. SAF-Instant Yeast (I used 1 tsp. rapid rise/bread machine yeast)

Mix these ingredients in the bread machine pan and set the machine to QUICK DOUGH. As soon as the mixture is well mixed, stop and unplug the machine and allow to sit (with the lid closed) at least 2½ hours on the counter or up to 12 hours in the fridge (I did 12 hours in the refrigerator).

After the sponge has set, mix these ingredients into the sponge:

2 T. melted coconut oil, butter, or vegetable oil
2 T. agave nectar (or honey)
1 egg

Add to the top of the sponge mixture in the pan:

2¼ c. whole wheat flour
(I added 2 tbsp. vital wheat gluten)
2 t. salt (I used 1 tsp)

Set the bread machine on regular DOUGH cycle and process. Check the dough to make sure it's formed into a nice soft ball and adjust the hydration as needed.

Grainlady’s notes: “I process the dough in the bread machine until the dough is mixed and kneaded. I don't let it rise in the machine. I place the dough in a dough rising bucket, place the lid on the top and allow the dough to ALMOST rise to double. Whole wheat dough does NOT have the extensibility that white bread dough does, so try not to let it go more than double.

“After the bread machine finishes the dough cycle (or has doubled in the dough rising bucket), dump the dough onto a Silpat and with oiled/greased hands deflate the dough by pushing it in the middle with your fist then drawing all edges of the outside dough into the middle (turning the dough inside-out, so to speak). Divide the dough into portions (I scale the dough for accuracy.) Round each portion (make it into a smooth ball) so that all the gluten strands are going into the same direction. Cover and allow to rest 10-15 minutes so the gluten relaxes. Form dough (oil your hands when you handle the dough), pan, cover with plastic wrap for the final proofing.

“I make this bread into 3 small loaves (7-1/2 x 3-1/2-inch pans - 350°F for 20-25 minutes), OR one 1# Pullman Loaf and use the other 1# of dough for 6 pecan rolls OR an 8-inch pan of dinner rolls; sometimes I use a portion of the recipe for hamburger or hot dog buns. If making two regular loaves (8½ x 4½), bake in a 375°F oven for 25-minutes. A very versatile dough.”

I made two 8½ x 4½ inch pans, letting the dough rise about 45 minutes until just at the top of the bread pans. I baked them per Grainlady’s instructions at 375 degrees, checked them at 25 minutes, and kept baking until they reached an internal temperature of 190 degrees.

Next Post: Baking Low Sodium Bread - Favorite Buns and Rolls - Part 7

Baking Low Sodium Bread Series:

Part 1 – Introduction  

Part 2 – Beginning Basics

Part 3 – Getting Started

Part 4 – Keeping It Fresh

Part 5 – Without a Bread Machine

Part 6 – Favorite Bread Recipes

Part 7 – Favorite Buns and Rolls

Low Sodium Bread – Demystified

Baking Low Sodium Bread - Without a Bread Machine - Part 5

Even if you don’t have a bread machine, you can still make tasty low sodium bread without resorting to manual kneading. Of course, you must remember to reduce both the salt and yeast amounts accordingly and to avoid overproofing. Here are some possibilities:

Use a food processor to knead the dough. The advantage is the food processor’s versatility. You can use it for all kinds of cooking tasks including making yeast dough. In order to properly knead dough, you’ll need a fairly large machine and a powerful one. I’ve got a Cuisinart 11 cup machine. Kitchenaid also makes a nice sized one. My machine’s manual has an entire section devoted to making bread dough. When my husband was first diagnosed with congestive heart failure, I was hesitant about buying a bread machine, so I got the Cuisinart. I knew I could use it for shredding cheese and vegetables, making bread crumbs and finely chopping nuts, and also for making dough. I found it really easy to use, especially when making artisan type breads. The only disadvantage is the capacity limitations. My machine cannot handle more than 5 cups of white flour, 3 cups of whole wheat flour, or 3 ½ cups of flour in a rich sweet dough.

The steps are pretty simple. You proof the yeast by dissolving it in a small amount of liquid to which a bit of sweetening has been added; some recipes don’t even call for this extra step. Then you combine all the dry ingredients in the work bowl and process for a few seconds. The liquids are slowly added through the feed tube while the machine is running. You should add enough liquid to make the dough soft enough for the machine to knead. Process the dough for about 20-30 seconds. Check the dough’s consistency and then process for another 15-20 seconds.

The biggest worry when using a food processor to knead is the possibility of overheating the dough. Excess heat could kill the yeast. That’s why it’s important to use cool liquids, not warm ones. Also avoid over-processing the dough. If you think you should knead a bit longer, or you need to adjust hydration, it’s wise to turn off the machine and let the dough cool down before continuing. An advantage to using the heavier duty food processors is that they can handle making several batches of dough in a row.

A great resource if you’re interested in using your food processor for making bread dough is The Best Bread Ever: Great Homemade Bread Using your Food Processor by Charles Van Over. I discovered it in my local library a few years ago when I was just getting started making low sodium bread. It’s full of great recipes and wonderful techniques and hints for using your food processor. Here is an example of one of the recipes. Here’s a food processor recipe from King Arthur Flour. These recipes should give you a good idea of what making dough in your food processor entails.

Use a stand mixer to knead the dough. Probably Kitchenaid is the most well known brand of heavy duty stand mixer. It is another versatile appliance that can do much more than knead bread. Another advantage is that, depending on the model, it can handle up to 7 cups of flour at a time. Many people, like my daughter, faithfully use a heavy duty stand mixer for kneading bread dough. Most of the foremost bread experts recommend a stand mixer too. Cook's Illustrated/America's Test Kitchen are great fans. Here is a recipe for bread using a stand mixer. This should give you a general idea of the steps involved when using a mixer to knead dough. The biggest disadvantage to having a large stand mixer is finding storage space for it. Also, it’s quite heavy and not easily moved from cupboard to counter and then back again.

In the interest of full disclosure, I must admit that I’ve never owned a stand mixer. I rarely, if ever, make things like cakes or cupcakes. I use a Danish Dough Whisk for quick breads and muffins, so I’ve never felt compelled to buy a large mixer. But, as I mentioned earlier, I know many people love their stand mixers and use them regularly for all kinds of things.

Experiment with batter breads. These breads are not kneaded at all. Instead a thick batter is mixed with either a stand or hand mixer and then poured into prepared pans. You can also make these breads by hand using a Danish Dough Whisk. This page features several batter bread recipes. Probably the most famous and widely used batter bread recipe is for English Muffin Bread. The bread is easy to make and really does have the taste and texture of English muffins but without all the work. Another classic batter bread is Dilly Casserole Bread. Food.com has a well reviewed recipe for Basic White Batter Bread that could easily accommodate all kinds of flavor additions. Batter breads can also be a good introduction to yeast bread making in general. The only thing you want to watch for is overproofing. These are more delicate breads, so don’t let them rise too much or they may collapse during baking. Also, because the dough is not really shaped, the top crust will be a bit rough in texture.

Experiment with the famous artisan bread in 5 minutes a day recipe. Here’s the recipe that took the world by storm a few years ago. It’s a terrific concept and no kneading is required. Stir all the ingredients in a large bowl, cover, let rise at room temperature, and then refrigerate the dough until needed. No need for any kind of special equipment, although a Danish Dough Whisk would be helpful. Since it’s a huge mass of dough, you can break off small amounts to make rolls, small meal-sized loaves, pizza, etc. The dough lasts for over a week and the flavor is supposed to improve the longer it sits in the fridge. For more information about this bread making technique, check out this website.

I’ve used the basic recipe a few times. It’s very convenient, and I know some people love the bread. The bread is pretty good and definitely easy to make. The only downside is that the recipes make large portions of dough that must either be refrigerated or frozen, taking up valuable fridge space. However, it's easy to halve the recipes. The cookbooks have several well reviewed recipes, so it may be an option worth investigating.

Experiment with the equally famous no-knead bread recipe. This is another bread recipe that took the world by storm a few years ago. It’s also a terrific concept. An almost miniscule amount of yeast is added to about 3 cups of flour and some water. The resulting dough is very wet and left to “percolate” for over 12 hours. Then the dough is briefly shaped and plopped into a heated dutch oven, covered, and baked in a hot oven. The resulting bread is supposed to rival all other recipes for artisan bread. There are several recipes available online, and the book can be purchased or checked out from a library.

I’ve never tried this recipe because I’m a chicken. Maneuvering a heavy and hot cast iron dutch oven, trying to plop loose dough in it, and then trying to get the baked bread out—let’s just say that my weak wrists probably couldn’t manage it. I’m afraid of dropping the dutch oven or burning myself. But you might find the no knead recipes wonderful. I know others have.

Conclusion: Even without the benefit of a bread machine, you can make some fairly easy lower sodium bread recipes without relying on hand kneading. Just remember that no matter what appliance you use or what recipe you use, you still need to reduce both the salt and yeast amounts accordingly.

Next Post: Baking Low Sodium Bread - Favorite Recipes - Part 6

Baking Low Sodium Bread Series:

Part 1 – Introduction  

Part 2 – Beginning Basics

Part 3 – Getting Started

Part 4 – Keeping It Fresh

Part 5 – Without a Bread Machine

Part 6 – Favorite Bread Recipes

Part 7 – Favorite Buns and Rolls
Low Sodium Bread – Demystified

Baking Low Sodium Bread - Keeping It Fresh - Part 4

Here are some things I’ve learned about keeping lower sodium bread fresh. Some people are disappointed with homemade bread because it dries out and stales so much faster than commercial grocery store breads. Lean, rustic breads, in particular, stale quickly. (That's why the French buy fresh baguettes every morning.) All that is to be expected because the home baker does not have access to the additives and dough conditioners that commercial bakers use. The long laundry list of ingredients on your bread packages attests to that fact. Also, home bakers don’t have the same kind of specialized equipment. However, there are things you can do to keep your homemade bread fresh longer and to prevent it from quickly drying out and going stale.

Don’t start with overly dry dough. When baking low sodium breads, you normally don’t want to use excessively wet or soft dough. But don’t go to the opposite extreme and end up with overly firm, dense, and dry dough either. That kind of consistency will result in loaves that are on the dry side to begin with. They will stale almost immediately.

Don’t over bake the bread. Again, the last thing you want to do is start out with dry bread. Soft, enriched breads that contain fats are done baking when the internal temperature is around 180-190 degrees. Drier, crusty breads need to bake until they are between 200-210 degrees inside. Simply poke an instant read thermometer into the center of the loaf and in thirty seconds or less you should have an accurate reading of its internal temperature.

If you bake in your bread machine, the crust setting will determine how long your bread bakes. The medium setting is probably the safest to use. Most bread machines only have a bottom heating element unlike the top and bottom elements of conventional ovens. As a result, often times the bottom and side crusts of machine baked loaves are darker and thicker than the top crusts. Attempts to get a browner top crust by baking on the dark setting might result in dried interiors. Don’t forget that residual heat will finish off the baking once the bread is removed from the machine and the pan. If you’re having a problem with dry freshly machine baked bread, you might consider experimenting with using the light setting.

I like evenly browned crusts, but I like bread that doesn’t get dry or stale even more. So, for me, if it’s a choice between overbaking in the machine to get the top crust color I want or having bread that will stay fresh longer, I’ll pick the moister, softer bread. Baking bread in the oven gives you much more control over the crust; that’s one reason I prefer using my oven. However, as I stated before, during the hot summer months, a bread machine baked loaf definitely suffices.

Be sure to let your bread cool completely. Cooling is actually part of the overall baking process. Bread should be allowed to come to room temperature after baking, because the heat retained inside continues to cook the bread. Cooling allows the moisture in the bread to re-distribute itself (similar to letting a grilled steak rest). Slicing it too early disrupts this process and the moisture escapes. If you cut into the bread before it's cool, it may still be gummy inside. However, if you simply cannot resist slicing into the warm bread, try this: place the bread, cut sides down, on a countertop and cover with a tea towel until the loaf has cooled completely. This action should allow the moisture to redistribute itself almost as well as cooling the whole loaf. I do this when my husband simply can't wait for the bread to completely cool.

Wrap the bread carefully to avoid staling. Cool the bread until you can wrap it without condensation gathering on the inside of the plastic wrap or bag. Make sure it is completely cooled. Just because the bread feels cool to the touch does not mean it is ready to wrap. Heat may still be trapped in the center of the loaf. Wrap the bread closely in plastic wrap or a tight-fitting plastic bag rather than a loose-fitting one. When bread is wrapped loosely in a plastic bag, its moisture eventually moves into the excess air trapped in the bag. This is even more prominent when the bread has one end sliced and removed or if you slice the entire loaf in advance. I try to only slice bread as needed so it stays fresh longer; I also keep the sliced heel in the bag, resting against the exposed part of the sliced loaf.

Some people like wrapping their bread in aluminum foil. I’ve had some luck with the green bags. If you don’t think you can eat up the entire loaf within 4-5 days, freeze part of it. Wrap it carefully in foil or plastic wrap and then place in a freezer bag, removing as much air as you can before closing. Some people place a paper towel over the bread before wrapping in plastic for freezing. They say that the paper towel absorbs excess moisture during the thawing process.

Add special ingredients to the dough to slow staling & drying out. The following may help:

• Fats and sweeteners (honey is especially helpful, as is coconut oil)
• Emulsifiers such as egg yolks or lecithin (granular or liquid)
• Dairy products like milk, sour cream, yogurt, or buttermilk (dried, canned, or fresh)
• Potato products like potato water, mashed potatoes, potato starch/flour, mashed potato flakes
• Chia seed slurry (combine 1 tbsp chia seeds with 1/4 cup water and let sit until a thick, gloopy slurry has been created; use 2 tbsp of the slurry as part of the liquid for the dough)
• Oatmeal (dry or cooked)
• Cooked grains such as cracked wheat, rice, cereal blends, etc.
• Vegetables and fruits such as grated carrot, mashed sweet potato, raisins, etc.

Add a dough conditioner or enhancer. The Bread Machine Digest site has an informative discussion about common dough conditioning additives the home baker can use to lessen staling and improve texture. The site also has a few recipes for making homemade dough conditioners.

I routinely add 1 tablespoon of granular lecithin to all the yeast doughs I make. I can find it at local health food stores. I also add vital wheat gluten to all the whole grain breads I make – 1 tablespoon for breads with 50% or more whole wheat flour. I also use a bit of orange juice when making 100% whole wheat bread (I learned this trick from King Arthur Flour: “The orange juice won't add its own flavor to the bread, but will mellow any potential bitterness in the whole wheat.”).

Adding an acidic ingredient (ascorbic acid [Vitamin C], lemon juice, vinegar) to whole wheat yeast breads helps keep gluten bonds strong and also helps the yeast work longer and faster. I use honey (as long as the recipe doesn't call for more than 2 tablespoons of sugar) and coconut oil for the sweetener and fat in all my breads to help avoid staling.

I’ve found that these additions give my panned breads loaves a softer, moister, and more tender crumb and keep them from quickly getting dry and stale. This is especially helpful when I make 100% whole wheat bread. The homemade bread is tender and light, almost like store bought but without all those weird ingredients.

Finally, after all is said and done, remember that it really is worth the trouble. You may wonder, after reading all the advice and helpful hints, if a bread machine is really a useful piece of equipment. My answer is an emphatic, “YES!” A bread machine is a great tool for those trying to follow a low sodium diet. First of all, keep in mind that most of my suggestions really deal with the pitfalls of making lower sodium bread – machine or no machine. Low sodium bread making has very real differences from ordinary bread making. All the finagling with yeast amounts, liquid to flour ratios, watching carefully for overproofing, etc. are part of the low sodium bread making experience whether or not you have a bread machine. What the bread machine does is take care of the kneading and rising, and if you want, the baking too.

In the past, I’ve used my own muscle power to make bread dough, my food processor, tried the artisan bread in 5-minutes recipe, and made batter breads. These methods all worked, but I like using a bread machine better. It does a superior job of kneading. Owning a bread machine has made it possible for me to supply my household with all kinds of lower sodium bread stuffs. The ability to rather easily make 2-3 different kinds of dough in succession without wearing myself out is a great benefit. Or being able to start a bread recipe late in the afternoon and have it baked in time for an after dinner snack. Or getting several doughs rising in the fridge for me to shape and bake the next day. The few minutes worth of checking the dough during the kneading cycle are absolutely nothing compared to the benefits.

Using the bread machine has meant that we have all kinds of good choices available for breakfasts, snacks, and sandwiches. Supermarket bread, especially the low sodium varieties, cannot compete with what I’m producing now. I’m able to make deliciously flavored breads and sandwich buns – seasoned with onion, dill, rosemary, caraway, black pepper, sun-dried tomatoes, chives, on and on – flavors I could never get from the supermarket. And they’re all lower sodium. Plus I can make true 100% whole wheat low sodium bread that has real substance to it and is not disgustingly squishy or sweet.

Next Post: Baking Low Sodium Bread - Without a Bread Machine - Part 5

Baking Low Sodium Bread Series:

Part 1 – Introduction  

Part 2 – Beginning Basics

Part 3 – Getting Started

Part 4 – Keeping It Fresh

Part 5 – Without a Bread Machine

Part 6 – Favorite Bread Recipes

Part 7 – Favorite Buns and Rolls
Low Sodium Bread – Demystified