You know that Great Harvest Bread Company? They got some good bread, I tell ya. But it’s expensive! My neighbor, she gave me some once. Real tasty. So, I thought, why not try to make it myself? Save some pennies, you know? These are some copycat recipes I found.
That Great Harvest bread, they use good stuff. Flour, water, honey, some seeds. Simple stuff. But it tastes so good! I tried a few things, and let me tell ya, it ain’t that hard to make bread like theirs. Just gotta have the right stuff and a little patience.
First, you gotta have good flour. Not that bleached stuff. Whole wheat, they call it. The good kind. Makes the bread brown and hearty. Great Harvest Bread Company copycat recipes need good flour, that’s for sure. Then, you need water. Clean water. And honey! Not that fake sugar stuff. Real honey. That’s what makes it sweet and yummy. Some recipes also use yeast. I used a bit of yeast and I think it was fine.
I saw one thing, they call it “Honey Whole Wheat.” Just five things in it, they say. Whole wheat flour, water, honey, yeast, and some sea salt. Five things! Can you believe it? And it’s that Jo’s favorite for 22 years! Who is Jo? I don’t know. But she must like good bread like me. Great Harvest bread, that honey whole wheat, it’s a good one.
Then there’s another one, they put all sorts of things in it. Almonds, sunflower seeds, those little oats, millet, barley, cracked wheat… all sorts! Corn, flax, something called “triticale” don’t know what that is, brown rice, rye, and even soya! My goodness, that’s a lot of stuff in one bread! It seems a copycat recipe for one of theirs, I don’t know which one though. I only had that honey one that time.
- Whole wheat flour
- Water
- Honey
- Yeast
- Almonds
- Sunflower seeds
- Oats
- Millet
- And a whole lot more!
Mixing it is the fun part. Get your hands in there! Knead it, they call it. Just push and fold, push and fold. Gets your arms a good workout. This is important for Great Harvest Bread Company copycat recipes. You gotta knead it good, or it won’t be right.
Then you gotta let it sit. Let it rise, they say. Gets bigger and fluffier. Like a little balloon. Takes a while, though. Gotta be patient. I just put mine on a big plate and put a cloth on top of it. While it is doing that you can prepare some other things, I guess. After it has risen, you put it into a loaf pan and bake it. The smell is great, you will see.
Baking it, now that’s where the magic happens. Gotta have a hot oven. Not too hot, though, or it’ll burn. Just right. Makes the whole house smell like fresh bread. Oh, it’s the best smell! Better than any of those fancy candles they sell. This smell makes me think of Great Harvest Bread. That’s the smell of good bread.
And when it’s done, you take it out, let it cool a bit. Then you slice it up, and oh boy! Warm bread, with a little butter… Just like that Great Harvest bread, but you made it yourself! It feels good to make something that tastes that good, doesn’t it?
I saw someone call one bread “harvest spice bread.” Must be one of those Great Harvest Bread Company copycat recipes. They said it has cinnamon. I like cinnamon. Maybe I’ll try that next. Cinnamon bread sounds good, doesn’t it? I will ask my neighbor if she has tried that one. She knows a lot about bread.
Someone else was talking about a recipe from Great Harvest Bread Company. Said it makes enough for 8 sandwiches! Or 4 if you’re just eating it plain. Or with lettuce. That’s a lot of bread! I don’t need that much bread, but good to know. Maybe I’ll make it for a party sometime. I like to have people over for a nice meal. They always like my cooking, especially my bread now!
So, if you like that Great Harvest bread, but don’t want to spend all your money, try making it yourself. It’s not as hard as you think. Just get some good flour, some honey, some of those seeds if you want, and get to baking! It’s fun, and you get to eat delicious bread. What’s better than that? These copycat recipes, they’re a good starting point. Just remember to use good stuff, and you’ll be alright. You might even make it better than they do! Who knows, maybe I’ll open my own bread shop. I could sell all kinds of bread. That would be something, wouldn’t it?
