Whole Wheat Bread

"I discovered this fantastic bread recipe by Jean Sutherland and I thought I would share with everyone. This is not a bread machine recipe! Zaar seems to have a lot of machine recipes but not many old-fashioned so I thought this would be a great addition. This bread is a little difficult to make but is perfect for sandwiches and tastes wonderful! Very much worth the work you have to invest. I replace all of the oil with 1/2 cup flax seed meal. It's a nice way to get that very nutritious grain into our diet easily. Plus it adds more flavor."
 
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photo by gailanng photo by gailanng
photo by gailanng
photo by Tea Jenny photo by Tea Jenny
photo by GaylaJ photo by GaylaJ
photo by Cynna photo by Cynna
Ready In:
3hrs 10mins
Ingredients:
11
Yields:
2 loaves
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ingredients

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directions

  • Add 4 1/2 tsp yeast to 3/4 cup water.
  • Add 1 cup of whole wheat flour and mix vigorously.
  • Cover bowl with plastic and let sit for 45 minutes to proof.
  • When sponge is ready, uncover bowl and add the 1 1/2 cups of warm water and 2 cups of whole wheat flour . Stir in very well.
  • Now add the 1/2 cup vital wheat gluten, 2 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil, 1/3 cup honey and 1 tablespoon salt. Mix these in well. Now start adding the remaining flour about 1/2 cup at a time. (I use my KitchenAid for this).
  • Knead dough in mixer for 10 minutes or 20-30 minutes by hand. Take a break half-way through if you're hand kneading and let dough rest for 10 minutes.
  • Place dough into large greased bowl (preferably not metal) and cover with plastic. Leave the dough to rise in a warm place for 1 to 1 1/2 hours until it doubles in size.
  • Punch dough down, divide dough, and reshape into loaves. Place into greased 9x5 bread pans, cover with plastic and allow to rise again.
  • Preheat oven to 350°F.
  • Make egg wash by whisking egg and water together in small bowl.
  • Brush egg wash over tops of loaves and then place in the oven to bake for 40 minutes.
  • To test for doneness, pull the loaf out of the pan and tap the bottom with a wooden handle. It should have a hollow sound.
  • Cool these for at least an hour before slicing. If you don't wait that long the structure of the bread will not support a knife and will mush down and stay permanently mushed when you're done mangling it. Try to be patient.

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Reviews

  1. How is it I fall in love with every bread loaf roll I meet.
     
  2. Just tried the recipe tonight, came out amazing !!
     
  3. Truly a 5 star recipe-used molasses instead of honey to give it a deep brown color, added 1/4 cup bran with the flour. Delicious with whipped honey or as the foundation of a grilled cheese sandwich!
     
  4. Made this twice using my bread machine to knead on both occasions with slight modifications to the process and recipe. The first time I wasn't paying much attention and added whole egg to the dough mix after downsizing the portions for a single loaf. I kneaded it on the 1.5 lb loaf and dough setting, using warm water w/out proofing the yeast. The result after baking was a very hearty but light loaf with a nice amber crust. It was pretty spectacular, honestly. The second go at it I used apple sauce and flax seed meal in place of the oil and left out the egg using it only for the wash. The loaf was dense and delicious. The egg wash aided in achieving that much desired shade of brown in the crust. I made a double batch on my second attempt and will continue using the basis of this recipe to experiment with whatever ingredients are in the house. Thanks for posting. I bet it's even better when you put the work into the proofing and kneading process I simply didn't have time to put forth.
     
  5. This recipe is superb. I tried it first with the oil, but the next few times with the flax seeds and the bread was perfect each time.
     
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Tweaks

  1. How is it I fall in love with every bread loaf I meet?
     
  2. Made this twice using my bread machine to knead on both occasions with slight modifications to the process and recipe. The first time I wasn't paying much attention and added whole egg to the dough mix after downsizing the portions for a single loaf. I kneaded it on the 1.5 lb loaf and dough setting, using warm water w/out proofing the yeast. The result after baking was a very hearty but light loaf with a nice amber crust. It was pretty spectacular, honestly. The second go at it I used apple sauce and flax seed meal in place of the oil and left out the egg using it only for the wash. The loaf was dense and delicious. The egg wash aided in achieving that much desired shade of brown in the crust. I made a double batch on my second attempt and will continue using the basis of this recipe to experiment with whatever ingredients are in the house. Thanks for posting. I bet it's even better when you put the work into the proofing and kneading process I simply didn't have time to put forth.
     
  3. I love a dense, substantial bread, and this one was wonderful! I let the KitchenAid do the kneading, used graham flour (coarser grind than regular whole-wheat), and (as you do) substituted 1/2 cup flaxseed meal for the oil. The resulting loaves were especially hearty with a slightly nutty flavor--delicious, as well as healthful. Thanks, Cynna!
     

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