50% Whole Wheat Bread

"This is our "everyday" lunch bread. I make it every night for the next day. I originally got it from the Oster bread machine recipe book but I adapted it somewhat. The 100% whole wheat recipe was just too heavy for our family. It makes a 2 lb loaf. Once I started making this bread, I couldn't go back to store bought!"
 
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photo by Kelsee T. photo by Kelsee T.
photo by Kelsee T.
photo by rockylizard photo by rockylizard
photo by BluefrogJ photo by BluefrogJ
photo by Chef1MOM-Connie photo by Chef1MOM-Connie
photo by Chef1MOM-Connie photo by Chef1MOM-Connie
Ready In:
3hrs 5mins
Ingredients:
7
Yields:
1 large loaf
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ingredients

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directions

  • Put the ingredients into the bread machine pan in the order listed (and as accurately as possible).
  • Select the whole wheat bread cycle (usually takes 3 1/2 hours).
  • Remove from the pan when it's done and let cool for 15 minutes before slicing.
  • During the summer I reduce the yeast to 1 tsp because it seems to rise so much more during the summer than the winter. Or you could increase the salt slightly (salt kills the yeast so it doesn't rise out of the machine!) So if you're getting a really huge loaf (and some of you have) try one of these 2 things and it should be better for you. For some reason atmospheric pressure (which varies according to seasons) makes a difference in how a bread rises. Enjoy!
  • Thanks for all your great reviews! Another thing I've been doing to make this even healthier is adding 2 tablespoons of ground flax seed with the flour. It doesn't really change the flavour but adds some good for you omega 3s!

Questions & Replies

  1. Does this use active dry yeast or rapid (quick rise) yeast?
     
  2. Can you substitue butter for for the margarine and would it be salted or unsalted?
     
  3. Has anyone tried baking this on a pizza stone sans loaf pan?
     
  4. May I add some cracked wheat to this recipe?
     
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Reviews

  1. Good bread, toasts well. Scaled recipe up to 1-1/2, and used the dough cycle. First rise in oiled bowl, puched down, & divded into 2 loaf pans, let rise again, and baked at 350 for 30 min. Will definetly use this recipe again.
     
  2. Followed this recipe , using the honey and it is a great loaf of bread, excellent texture and taste.
     
  3. I LOVE this recipe. I have started using this instead of buying store bread. My kids both love it and so does my picky husband. I use the honey version as I dont like the taste of molasses. I recommend it for anyone with a bread machine they dont use. This recipe will also scale down to a one pound loaf and turns out just right!!!
     
  4. Great loaf of bread! I don't have a machine so I have been making this by hand . I mix the water and yeast first, add the wet ingredients, then the dry. Knead for 20 minutes, rise 1 hour, punch and form in pan, rise 1 hour (as SponGe has done), then bake at 350 for 1/2 hour. I have tried using all molasses, half molassas and half honey ... both are great. This even worked for me with 100% freshly ground hard red wheat flour! Yum. I make 1 or 2 loaves a week :)
     
  5. Great bread. Thanks for the recipe - I will be using it from now on. A note: I substituted olive oil for the margarine and it came out great. I notice if I use the same tablespoon for the honey, the oil makes the honey slide right out.
     
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Tweaks

  1. I converted this back to handmade from the bread machine, and it was absolutely fabulous. I doubled the recipe and made two standard sized loaves. I mixed the yeast, water, and molasses, let it proof, and meanwhile mixed the dry ingredients in my stand mixer. After the yeast proofed I added it to the dry ingredients. The texture was great with 10 min knead in the stand mixer, 10 min rest, and another 10 min knead. I am not a super fan of sweet breads, so I reduced the molasses to a couple of teaspoons for a doubled recipe. My dad absolutely loved it. Excellent basic recipe and I will continue to make it frequently when I'm not doing my homegrown sourdough! Thank you for a great recipe!
     
    • Review photo by rockylizard
  2. I've been using this as my everyday bread too, thanks for posting! Over tiime, I have made a few changes: <br/>I use about a tablespoon of butter instead of margarine<br/>I don't like sweet bread, so I leave out the molasses<br/>Use milk instead of water for extra flavor<br/>Add about a tablespoon of wheat gluten for extra chewy-ness<br/>Like other users, I use the dough cycle of my bread machine, then do the second rise in a well floured Dutch oven (!) in which I then bake the bread. The pot helps recycle steam, which gives this bread an awesome crust.<br/>On crazy days I add a cup of (c)raisins and two teaspoons of cinnamon for a great breakfast treat.<br/>Thanks again for a great base recipe!
     
  3. Very good! it was easy to slice and made great sandwiches! I used honey instead of molasses and I added milled flax seed for the extra nutrition.
     
  4. I used the Breadman Plus on the Whole Wheat 2lb setting (4hr 30min). Used heaping measurements for the honey, I like honey :) Substituted the margarine with the stick form of "I Can't believe it's not butter (original)", about 72% fat content, softened in microwave for about 10 seconds. Used Bread Flour. All else exactly as recipe states. This was the first 2lb loaf I've tried, always made 1 1/2lb loaves before. Came out great! Will be using this recipe for making my lunch sandwiches for work. The loaf filled up the machine completely, lol. Might try a litle less yeast next time like the recipe author suggests, or maybe not. I may also play around with the ratios of wheat vs bread flour, want to see how much wheat I can add and still have the light texture to it. I'll add some pics soon.
     
  5. Great bread. Thanks for the recipe - I will be using it from now on. A note: I substituted olive oil for the margarine and it came out great. I notice if I use the same tablespoon for the honey, the oil makes the honey slide right out.
     

RECIPE SUBMITTED BY

I live in Ontario, Canada and am the stay-at-home mom of 5 young children. They provide me with lots of fun, entertainment, exercise, and work! I also love to volunteer at our church and school. When I have a minute to myself, I grab a book and a coffee and read, read, read.
 
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