cooking ala mel

healthy recipes and the occasional craft

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Fluffy 100% Whole Wheat Bread

Remember that time I said I would only be making my own bread from now on?  That lead to some pretty tasty breads, one I didn’t end up writing down (although I did take pictures – go figure).  One I couldn’t quite get right, though, was a totally whole wheat bread, with no white flour at all.  I have one posted on the blog, but it didn’t rise nearly as much as I would prefer, although it was still tasty.  I finally found a reliable recipe with the right ratios, but it was a bit too crumbly once it was made totally whole wheat.  So I tried again.. and I think I’ve finally nailed it.

The key to getting rid of the crumbliness is adding just a bit of ground flax seed to hold it all together.  Since flax adds a decent little bit of a fiber, too, I was not at all disappointed about having to add it in.  I also found that giving it a bit longer of a rise time than your standard 1 hour or so for most yeast breads really ensures that you get the proper height in the bread.  All of this made for a wonderfully fluffy bread that actually holds its own for sandwich making.

Once I got all this down, I went right ahead and made a double batch (2 loaves).  Once the bread cooled completely, I sliced it all up and popped it into gallon sized freezer bags for storage in the freezer.  So now, I don’t have to worry about stale homemade bread, and I can just grab the pieces I need for toast in the morning or sandwich making.  To defrost, I just pop the slices in the toaster and vary the length of time in there depending on what I want it for (longer for toast, shorter for sandwiches).  A quick and easy way to defrost.
When it comes to flours, I’ve really been enjoying using a combination of sprouted whole wheat and white whole wheat.  Sprouted is supposed to be easier to digest, and I haven’t had any issues with my breads, so I’m going to keep at it.  You can use whatever combination you like, or just use all white whole wheat or standard whole wheat flour.  This is definitely a bread I’ll be keeping in my repertoire for a long time, and I’m excited to change up flavors by adding in some cheese and other spices.

 

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Fluffy 100% Whole Wheat Bread

yields 1 loaf

Fluffy 100% Whole Wheat Bread

  • 4 cups white whole wheat flour (or regular whole wheat)
  • 1 1/2 tsp salt
  • 3 Tbsp dry milk powder
  • 1 1/2 Tbsp ground flax seed
  • 1 1/2 tsp instant yeast
  • 1 1/4 cups lukewarm water
  • 2 Tbsp honey
  • 2 Tbsp olive oil

In the bowl of a stand mixer with the dough hook attached, stir together the flour, salt, milk powder, flax, and yeast. Add the honey and olive oil into the measuring cup with the warm water, and stir until the honey has dissolved.

Add the water to the flour mixture, and knead on low speed until the dough is smooth, elastic, and pulls away from the sides of the bowl (about 5 minutes). Cover the bowl with plastic wrap lightly sprayed with oil, and allow to rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1-2 hours.

Once risen, punch down the dough, and transfer to a clean work surface. Shape the dough into a loaf - about an 8-inch log - and pull the sides to the bottom to cloak the gluten.

Place the shaped loaf, seam-side down, into a 9x5 inch loaf pan lined with parchment paper (for easy removal and clean-up). Cover again with the plastic wrap, and allow to rise until it domes about 1 inch above the pan, 30 minutes to 1 hour. Towards the end of the rise time, preheat the oven to 350ºF.

Remove the plastic wrap, and bake the bread at 350ºF for 35-40 minutes, until golden and hollow sounding when tapped. Allow to cool in the pan for about 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool. Cool completely before slicing (if you can wait that long).

Store in an airtight container. You can freeze this bread, tightly wrapped, for up to 3 months.

adapted from Simple Bites

https://cookingalamel.com/2013/05/fluffy-100-whole-wheat-bread.html