Homemade bread can be a little tricky. Particularly wheat. Often times, although tasty, the bread can be crumbly and course, making it difficult at best to make a decent sandwich. My goal in bread making is to produce a wonderfully tasting, moist loaf with a fine crumb. I have made more than my fair share of bread with the texture of sand paper, but not this recipe. This is the one. This is the bread that turns out every time. It is great all-around homemade bread. It is incredible fresh from the oven, fabulous toasted and simply perfect cooled and sliced for sandwiches. You can use the wheat/white flour ratio in the recipe or all whole wheat - either way, you won't be disappointed.
Simply Perfect Whole Wheat Bread
In a large bowl mix:
3 C warm water (110°)
2 T dry yeast
1/3 C honey
Stir in:
5 C bread flour
Let sit for 30 minutes, or until big and bubbly (sponging).
Mix in:
3 T melted butter
1/3 C honey (in addition to the honey already added)
1 T salt
2 - 4 C whole wheat flour
Knead for about 10 minutes. The dough should be pulling away from the sides of the bowl (or counter) but still sticky to touch.
Place in a greased bowl, turning once to coat the surface of the dough. Cover with a dishtowel. Let rise in a warm place until double.
Punch down and divide into 3 loaves. Place in greased 9x5 inch loaf pans and allow to rise until dough has topped the pans by one inch.
Bake at 350° for 25 to 30 minutes; do not over bake. Lightly brush the tops of loaves with 2 tablespoons melted butter when done to prevent crust from getting hard. Cool completely.
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| Hard White grain in the grinder |
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| The first 4 ingredients after having "sponged" for a half an hour |
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| The dough after first rising |
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| In the bread pans |
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| Ready for the oven |
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| Just out of the oven |
Beautiful loaves! What a rise! Please let me double-check: You do use 1/3 c honey twice? Thanks.
ReplyDeleteYes, Liz, I used 1/3 of a cup of honey two times. Weird, I know, but it is wonderful!
DeleteEnola
Liz and Enola Gay,
DeleteI was going to ask the same question. Thanks for clarification Enola Gay. I'm looking foward to trying this recipe out. I like a bread that doesn't crumb and can stand up to make a good sandwich.
Thank You for sharing your recipe.
Sandy, Oklahomatransient.blogspot.com
T = Teaspoon or Tablespoon?
ReplyDeleteT = Tablespoon. If I am talking about a teaspoon, I will write tsp. Hope that helps!
DeleteEnola
Do you add gluten when using all wheat flour?
ReplyDeleteNo. I use high-protien wheat, so unless the wheat I am using is inferior, I do not add gluten.
DeleteEnola
Hi, Enola,
ReplyDeleteThis is the same recipe I've been using for several years, and I love it! It's very easy and reliably makes a wonderful loaf. I've also used it for cinnamon swirl bread and cinnamon rolls with very yummy results. Other options I've tried are to subtitute 1/3 c. molasses for 1/3 c. honey or to add some oats, sunflower seeds, or flax seed with the first batch of flour (just be sure to remove a little of the flour so you don't end up with a dissapointing texture). I've also added 2-4 tablespoons of gluten since I don't use the higher protein wheat, and it helps the texture.
Once again your photos look so yummy I'm going to go bake bread!
Blessings,
Lisa
New to bread making, a bit confused by the directions,"Place in greased 9x5 inch loaf pans and allow to rise until dough has topped the pans by one inch."
ReplyDeleteLooking at your pictures it looks like the bread is below the top of the pan. Can you explain to me what the directions mean by "topped the pans by one inch." This looks like a great recipe and I want to try it out tomorrow, just want to be sure and do this correctly! :-)
Lisa C.
Lisa;
DeleteI don't own a 9x5 bread pan - mine are considerably bigger. When my bread had finished rising, it was slightly over the top of the pan, but not quite 1 inch. If you are using 9x5 inch pans, you should get three loaves (compared to my two loaves) and they should rise to about 1 inch over the top of the pan before you put them into the oven (this is not an exact science - close should do you).
My bread pans are commercial pans - most recipes do not translate well for commercial so I just do the best I can. Good luck on your bread. I hope it turns out wonderfully.
Enola
I am also confused about this part of the recipe, you said, "2 - 4 C whole wheat flour", how do I know how much flour I need to add to my bread? Is there a way it should look or some way to tell how much whole wheat flour to add?
ReplyDeleteLisa C.
The amount of flour you add will depend on many factors, including the humidity in the air and the temperature. I start with 2 C of wheat flour and keep adding until the dough pulls from the counter (while I'm kneading) or pulls away from the sides of the bowl (if I am using a mixer) but is still slightly sticky on my hands. The amount of flour you add varies from day to day. One of the secrets of bread making is knowing what the dough should "feel" like. No one can teach you - you have to figure it out for yourself, but this should get you close. Have a great evening.
DeleteEnola
Maybe you need to come and visit and show me what I am suppose to look for! LOL. I just tried making this, only did a half batch as I want to see how it turns out. I am using a larger than 9.5 pan, so hopefully it turns out ok. Mine was holding together but really wanted to stick to the side of the bowl after mixing with my kitchen-aid. Might not have added enough flour, but didn't want to add too much. Makes me miss the olden days, when we still had grandparents around to teach us how to do these things.
DeleteLisa C.
Lisa;
DeleteIf you lived anywhere near me, I would come in a heartbeat! Bread truly is a "feel" thing. You're right, we have lost so much from the generations that have come before. I hope your bread turns out!
Enola
Enola, hope I am not bugging you..lol. So just pulled my bread out of the oven and the center collapsed while it was in there. By reading it says too much water or too much yeast? I am using the the SAF red, instant yeast. The bread does not look done when I try to flip it out of the pan. I put it back in the oven at 300 and will try baking it a bit longer. The top was definately brown, boardering on overdone..LOL. Guess I will have to experiment some more with the recipe.
DeleteLisa C.
Thanks for sharing-- I made this yesterday and it is WONDERFUL! I was looking for a 'moister' (is that a word!?) loaf -- my dh was unhappy that our homemade bread after a day or two would get too crumbly-- sandwiches would break up. This appears to have solved our problem and we cut nice thick slices for garlic toast last night-- YUM!
ReplyDeleteAdded bonus? I can make it with everything from my pantry & food storage-- LOVE THAT! Thanks Enola for sharing this!
Lisa
Is the first 5 C. Bread flour whole wheat or white flour? It seems like you're talking about 100% whole wheat bread but that part of the recipe confused me. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteCrystal
You may use either white flour or wheat - it just depends on the texture of bread you would like. I have made both and they are equally wonderful.
DeleteEnola
I made the bread today, kneading by hand, and it turned out great. Am passing some to the neighbor in return for smoking my chickens for Memorial Day. Will be into bread making again.
ReplyDeleteCity Dude
I tried it too, yesterday. We're very pleased with the results, and will be using it in the future for our slicing loaves. Thanks so much for sharing your recipe!
ReplyDeleteI made your bread yesterday with freshly ground wheat in the whole wheat section of the recipe. This bread turned out great. It rose well, which is one part I have had trouble with in the past. Thank you for sharing your recipe.
ReplyDeleteThis sounds absolutely YUMMY!
ReplyDeleteThis sounds absolutely YUMMY!
ReplyDeleteI make sourdough breads, and typically a rise is a couple of hours. Is this an all day type bread? My husband and I were just discussing how we wanted to try different breads that would be easier for the kids to eat. I'm very excited to make this and to venture from my sourdough no knead bread. Also, do you let the sponge rise then fall again before adding ingredients? Or is that totally unnecessary?
ReplyDeleteNo, this bread does not take all day, just a few hours or so. I allow it to sponge for about 30 minutes (it does not have to fall) and then add additional ingredients. You can let it rise longer, if you are so inclined, but the 30 minutes yields a fine, tender loaf. I hope it works wonderfully for you!
DeleteI have used a recipe like this for a couple of years. But, I also use some spletz flour and whole white wheat flour. Throwing in some flax meal, cracked wheat, oat meal, and sunflower seeds. Turns out every time.
ReplyDeleteEnola, I am going to show my ignorance here, but how large is "large bowl"? The only breadmaking I have done is with a bread machine(It is at my son's house).
ReplyDeleteMarcia-
DeleteThat certainly isn't ignorance! Everyone seems to have a different idea when it comes to bowl size. The bowl I use is 6 quarts. Give this bread a try!
Enola
Enola,
DeleteThank you. My Kitchen Aide Mixer has a 6 quart bowl and a dough hook. I am excited about trying your recipe. I'm going to the store today, but it will probably be tomorrow before I get to try my hand at it.
Made the bread yesterday. It was delicious and not at all hard to do. Next time I'll only do two loaves - wasn't as "tall" as I wanted (never did rise above the pan). Definitely a "keeper" recipe.
DeleteWhat do you mean by "sponged" for a half an hour? What are you making those ingredients in? Is a type of mixer
ReplyDelete"Sponging" is the term used for allowing the liquids, yeast and some of the flour sit together before adding the rest of the flour and kneading. It softens the gluten and makes a really nice crumb on the bread. The reason it is called "sponging" is because as the yeast is activated it starts to bubble, producing air pockets that resemble the holes in a sponge.
DeleteI was using an ancient Bosch mixer to mix the bread dough. You certainly don't have to have a mixer - kneading by hands works equally as well.
Enola
Is there a way to adapt this for a bread machine??
ReplyDeleteOh, boy - I have no idea! If any of you good folks know about adapting recipes for bread machines, please let me know.
ReplyDeleteEnola
I am a grandmother and my grandchildren love my home baked bread. One thing I have learned is that I let my dough rise, punch it down and let it rise again, then punch it down again. I then put it in the bread tins and leave overnight covered with a clean cloth. I bake it in the morning in a hot oven. This gives me a nice crisp crust and the bread is very light and almost flies out of the oven. A way of telling if it is cooked, is to tap it and it should sound hollow if it is a yeast bread. Slices with real butter and home made soup go down very well in the winter during school holidays.
ReplyDeletedoess T = Tablespoon?
ReplyDeleteYes, T does mean Tablespoon. I hope your bread turns out lovely.
DeleteEnola
If I use yeast packets, how many do I use?
ReplyDelete