Entire Wheat Bread (Tender & Hearty) (Tender & Chewy!)

With step-by-step footage and loads of useful ideas, learn to make mushy entire wheat bread with this easy-to-follow recipe. You can also make this bread 100% entire wheat, or you need to use a mix of entire wheat and bread flour for a barely taller, fluffier loaf. It’s splendidly mushy and flavorful both means! When you’re new to working with yeast, reference my Baking with Yeast Information for solutions to frequent yeast FAQs.

I do know there’s main comfort with store-bought bread, however I encourage you to attempt making it from scratch at the very least as soon as. (You could be hooked after that!) This entire wheat bread takes just a few hours, however many of the work is hands-off whereas the dough rises. Recent-baked bread smells unimaginable and tastes even higher—store-bought sandwich bread simply can’t evaluate! Wait till you odor a slice popping up within the toaster.

Right here’s Why You’ll Love This Entire Wheat Bread

• Chewy crust with mushy texture inside
• Flavorful & hearty
• Flippantly sweetened with honey
• Makes scrumptious toast and sandwiches, and can be utilized in recipes like French toast, breakfast casserole, & sausage herb stuffing
• Straightforward to make forward or freeze
• 8 easy substances

Behind the Recipe/Recipe Testing

Till now, I’ve shied away from trying 100% entire wheat bread, as a result of creating a recipe for a wonderfully mushy and engaging loaf was a tall order. Why? As a result of entire wheat flour is finicky and might be tough to get proper in a bread recipe.

There are often 2 key issues on the subject of utilizing 100% entire wheat flour in a bread recipe.

1. Due to the bran layer of the wheat grain, bread utilizing 100% entire wheat flour can style bitter or bitter. (Nonetheless, at all times be certain that your entire wheat flour is contemporary; it will probably turn into rancid if saved for too lengthy.)
2. Entire wheat flour doesn’t comprise the identical degree of gluten as white flours. This lacking gluten can produce a dense and/or flat loaf. Many entire wheat bread recipes name for the addition of important wheat gluten to make up for it, however I don’t often maintain that in my kitchen… and you could not both.

I skilled each points in my preliminary makes an attempt at this recipe. I discovered that including somewhat acid to the dough helped offset the bitterness, and introducing a preferment “sponge” helped give the loaves higher taste, in addition to extra top. Clearly entire wheat bread won’t ever be as mushy, tender, and chewy as white sandwich bread, however this one comes fairly shut with my cautious recipe & options.

Finest Substances to Use in Entire Wheat Bread & Why:

1. Water: Heat liquid prompts yeast. I take advantage of principally water on this dough as a result of we’d like a bread that has construction. Utilizing all milk, like I do for my entire wheat dinner rolls, would yield a flimsy bread with out a lot texture, which isn’t preferrred for slicing as sandwich bread.
2. Entire Milk: To yield a mushy bread, you want fats within the dough, so be certain that a few of the liquid is milk. Low-fat or nondairy milk works too, however entire milk produces phenomenal texture and I extremely suggest it.
3. Yeast: You need to use lively dry yeast or immediate yeast. If utilizing lively dry, the rise instances will likely be a bit longer. I examined it with each.
4. Honey: Honey feeds the yeast, will increase its exercise, and frivolously sweetens the bread. In our testing, my staff & I unanimously agreed honey was the tastier possibility over common granulated and brown sugar. I additionally use somewhat honey when making entire wheat pizza dough.
5. Butter: Butter guarantees a flavorful loaf.
6. Lemon Juice: This ingredient could appear unusual, however it’s important for stopping the bread from tasting too bitter. When you don’t have lemon juice, apple cider vinegar is a good substitute.
7. Salt: You’ll be able to’t make flavorful bread with out salt!
8. Flour: You need to use all entire wheat flour, or swap 1 cup of entire wheat flour for 1 cup of bread flour. The bread is mushy both means, however somewhat bread flour yields a barely taller, fluffier, and lighter loaf. We take pleasure in it each methods.

Begin With Making the Sponge (It’s Straightforward)

For the sponge, you’ll use the entire liquid (each the water and milk) and yeast within the dough, plus a few of the flour. Combine this all along with a spatula, cowl it frivolously, and let it double in dimension for about 60 to 90 minutes.

Whereas this step does lengthen the whole time of the recipe, the sponge is essential for producing a extra complicated taste, and offers the bread a lighter texture. By skipping this step, your bread will likely be somewhat flat. (In style and look!)

As soon as the sponge doubles in dimension, add the remaining substances and start mixing, which is able to deflate the air and make means for the ultimate dough.

That is the sponge earlier than rising:

That is the sponge after rising:

At this level, the method follows my sandwich bread fairly intently. You’ll knead the dough, then let the dough rise twice. Lesson you’ll study in the present day: making a scrumptious entire wheat bread just isn’t a race. We should have some endurance right here! (A tough ask when home made bread is the reward…)

Step Photographs to Assist You

Make the dough: I like to recommend utilizing a stand mixer with a dough hook attachment (most stand mixers are offered with it). When you don’t have a stand mixer, combine the dough along with a spatula or wood spoon (and somewhat arm muscle!).

Knead the dough: You’ll be able to proceed beating the dough with the dough hook, or you may knead the dough by hand.

1st rise (about 2 hours): After you knead the dough, cowl it and let it rise in a comparatively heat spot. Entire wheat dough requires a barely longer rise time than white sandwich bread as a result of it’s weighed down with wheat germ and bran.

As soon as it has doubled in dimension, punch it right down to launch the air.

Roll it out into an 8×15-inch rectangle:

Roll it up tightly beginning with the 8-inch aspect, so you could have an 8-inch roll to suit into your greased 9×5-inch loaf pan. (In contrast to cinnamon rolls, the place you roll up the dough beginning with the bigger aspect.)

2nd rise (at the very least 1 hour): Let it rise till it’s about an inch above the rim of the pan. Don’t rush this 2nd rise, except you need a flat loaf.

And bake! This entire wheat sandwich bread takes about 36–40 minutes within the oven.

Earlier than baking, be at liberty to prime the bread with oats. You’ll have to brush overwhelmed egg white on prime of the dough earlier than including the oats, in order that they stick. The oat topping is elective.

Success Tricks to Maintain in Thoughts

1. You can also make this loaf of bread 100% entire wheat, or substitute 1 cup (about 125-130g) of the entire wheat flour with bread flour for a lighter, taller, fluffier loaf. The instructions stay the identical.
2. Knead the dough for a very long time, at the very least 8 minutes. When you have a stand mixer, use it for this recipe. It is a heavy entire grain dough, so it requires a very good quantity of kneading to assist produce a extra elastic construction.
3. When kneading, keep away from including an excessive amount of flour; a barely cheesy and mushy dough is OK.
4. Use an immediate learn thermometer to test the inner temperature of the baked bread. This ensures you gained’t under-bake or over-bake the bread. It’s an extremely useful baking device! The bread is completed when the middle of the loaf is 195–200°F (90–93°C).
5. When you’re new to working with yeast, please assessment my Baking with Yeast Information the place I embrace sensible and easy-to-understand solutions to many yeast FAQs.

This entire wheat bread is phenomenal when sliced and served heat. The outside is crisp and crusty, and the inside is hearty, but mushy.

Print

Entire Wheat Bread

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  Creator: Sally
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  Prep Time: 4 hours, half-hour (contains sponge and rises)
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  Prepare dinner Time: 38 minutes
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  Complete Time: 5 hours, 10 minutes
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  Yield: 1 loaf
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  Class: Bread
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  Technique: Baking
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  Delicacies: American

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Description

You solely want 8 easy substances to make this entire wheat sandwich bread. Tender with a chewy crust and oh-so-flavorful, store-bought sandwich bread simply doesn’t evaluate. You need to use 100% entire wheat flour, or you may swap in some bread flour. See recipe Notes for freezing and in a single day directions. You too can reference my Baking with Yeast Information for solutions to frequent yeast FAQs. 

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Directions

1. Put together the sponge: In a big bowl or the bowl of your stand mixer, whisk the water, entire milk, and yeast collectively. Add the two cups (260g) flour and stir with a spatula or wood spoon till a thick batter kinds. Cowl frivolously and permit to double in dimension, about 60-90 minutes. Generally this could take as much as 2 hours. *I don’t suggest a hand mixer for this dough as a result of the dough is just too thick and heavy.*
2. Add the remaining dough substances together with the honey, butter, lemon juice, remaining flour, and the salt. With a dough hook attachment, or utilizing a spatula or wood spoon (and a few arm muscle!), beat on medium velocity/combine till the dough comes collectively and pulls away from the edges of the bowl, about 3 minutes. If the dough appears too moist to a degree the place kneading (subsequent step) can be inconceivable, beat in additional flour 1 Tablespoon at a time till you could have a workable dough, much like the images above. Dough needs to be mushy and somewhat sticky, however nonetheless manageable to knead with frivolously floured arms.
3. Knead the dough: Maintain the dough within the mixer and beat for an extra 8–10 full minutes, or knead by hand on a frivolously floured floor for 8–10 full minutes. If the dough turns into too sticky throughout the kneading course of, add 1 extra Tablespoon of flour at a time to make a mushy, barely cheesy dough. Don’t add extra flour than you want; you do not need a dry dough. After kneading, the dough ought to nonetheless really feel somewhat mushy. Poke it together with your finger—if it slowly bounces again, your dough is able to rise.
4. 1st rise: Flippantly grease a big bowl with oil or nonstick spray. Place the dough within the bowl, turning it to coat all sides within the oil. Cowl the bowl and permit the dough to rise in a comparatively heat atmosphere for two hours or till double in dimension. (For a tiny discount in rise time, see my reply to The place Ought to Dough Rise? in my Baking With Yeast Information.)
5. Grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan.
6. Form the dough: When the dough is prepared, punch it right down to launch the air. Flippantly flour a piece floor, your arms, and a rolling pin. Roll the dough out into a big rectangle, about 8×15 inches. It doesn’t should be excellent—in reality, it should most likely be rounded on the perimeters. That’s okay! Roll it up into an 8-inch log and place within the ready loaf pan.
7. 2nd rise: Cowl formed loaf. Permit to rise till it’s about 1 inch above the highest of the loaf pan, about 1 hour.
8. Regulate oven rack to a decrease place and preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). It’s finest to bake the bread in direction of the underside of the oven so the highest doesn’t burn.
9. Optionally available oat topping: If you wish to add the elective oat topping, add it proper earlier than baking the bread. With a pastry brush, brush the risen loaf with egg white, then sprinkle the oats on prime.
10. Bake the bread: Bake for 36–40 minutes, or till golden brown on prime. When you discover the highest browning too rapidly, loosely tent the pan with aluminum foil. (I often add it across the 20-minute mark.) To check for doneness, when you gently faucet on the loaf, it ought to sound hole. For a extra correct check, the bread is completed when an instant-read thermometer reads the middle of the loaf as 195–200°F (90–93°C). Take away from the oven and permit bread to chill for a couple of minutes within the pan on a cooling rack earlier than eradicating the bread from the pan and slicing. Be happy to let it cool utterly earlier than slicing, too.
11. Cowl leftover bread tightly and retailer at room temperature for as much as 1 week.

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Notes

1. Freezing Directions: Put together recipe by step 6. Place formed loaf in a greased 9×5-inch loaf pan or disposable loaf pan, cowl tightly, and freeze for as much as 3 months. On the day you serve it, let the loaf thaw and rise for about 4–5 hours at room temperature. Bake as directed. You too can freeze the baked bread loaf. Permit the bread to chill utterly, then freeze for as much as 3 months. Thaw within the fridge or at room temperature, then reheat as desired.
2. In a single day Directions: Put together the recipe by step 6. Cowl the formed loaf tightly and refrigerate for as much as about 15 hours. A minimum of 3 hours earlier than you want the bread the following day, take away from the fridge, maintain lined, and permit to rise on the counter for about 1–2 hours earlier than baking. Alternatively, you may let the dough have its 1st rise within the fridge in a single day. Put together the dough by step 3, then cowl the dough tightly and place within the fridge for as much as 12 hours. Take away from the fridge and permit the dough to totally rise for two extra hours. Proceed with step 5.
3. Particular Instruments (affiliate hyperlinks): Stand Mixer or Massive Glass Mixing Bowl with Wood Spoon or Silicone Spatula | 9×5-inch Loaf Pan | Rolling Pin | Pastry Brush for elective topping | Immediate-Learn Thermometer | Wire Cooling Rack
4. Milk: Low-fat or nondairy milk work right here, however entire milk produces phenomenal texture and I extremely suggest it. 
5. Yeast: I often use immediate yeast. You need to use lively dry yeast as an alternative, with no adjustments to the preparation. Rise instances will likely be barely longer. Reference my Baking With Yeast Information for solutions to frequent yeast FAQs.
6. Flour: Be sure your entire wheat flour is contemporary. Verify the date on the bundle, and don’t retailer it uncovered. Entire wheat flour can turn into rancid if saved for too lengthy, and your bread will style bitter. You need to use all entire wheat flour on this recipe, or substitute 1 cup (130g) of bread flour for a barely taller, fluffier loaf. You need to use 1 cup of bread flour within the sponge in step 1 OR reserve it for the remaining dough in step 2. If utilizing 1 cup (130g) of bread flour in step 2, you’ll additionally want the 1/3 cup (43g) of entire wheat flour.
7. Honey: Honey produced the perfect tasting bread. In a pinch, you need to use common granulated sugar or brown sugar. However you’ll miss out on that honey taste. I’ve not examined different sweeteners.
8. Can I form this right into a spherical boule? No, this dough wants the construction of a loaf pan. As a substitute, you could like this no-knead seeded oat bread.
9. Doubling this recipe: For finest outcomes, I like to recommend making two separate batches of dough. It is a huge, heavy dough and the sponge will take a really very long time to rise, and so will the kneading step. It’s finest to make 2 separate doughs.
10. Entire Wheat Rolls: I like to recommend my mushy entire wheat rolls recipe, or you may attempt my multigrain bread/rolls recipe as an alternative.
11. Tailored from Sandwich Bread and Entire Wheat Rolls

Key phrases: entire wheat bread