foolproof whole wheat bread





this is a basic everyday sandwich bread recipe. make it without extras, and it is less than 6 ingredients. this is easy easy (again only one rise,) and very foolproof. it comes together in about an hour, including rising and baking! it has a great texture and tight crumb and slices easily without crumbling. the only advice i have if you are a beginning bread baker is: get your water temperature right. it should feel like a very warm bath, but not too hot. if you have a candy thermometer, check for about 100-110 degrees. this is the bread i make week in, week out, for toast and sandwiches, for everyday. try it with hard white wheat. i haven't bought a loaf of bread in years. (in the time it takes me to drive to the store, get the bread, and come home, it's been an hour anyway.) i'm a sucker for some bread-love-hot-outta-the-ove!
foolproof whole wheat bread
recipe from the bosch store
3 cups warm water
1 Tablespoon salt
1/3 cup oil
1/3 cup honey
4 cups whole wheat flour to start, about 9 cups total (freshly ground if you're hardcore!)
1 1/4 Tablespoons instant yeast

optional:
1 Tablespoon dough enhancer (texture, longevity)
1 Tablespoon wheat gluten (rise, crumb)
1/4 cup instant dry milk (flavor)
1/4 cup potato flakes (texture)

place water, oil, honey, salt and 4 cups flour in mixing bowl of a Bosch or another strong mixer fitted with a dough hook. Mix to a paste. Add yeast while mixing. On speed 1, add additional flour one cup at a time. Add flour until dough pulls away from sides of bowl, be careful not to add too much flour. Let knead for 8 minutes. Add dough enhancer and knead 1-2 more minutes. Take dough immediately from bowl and with greased hands, fill non-stick loaf pans 1/2 full with dough. Cover with plastic or saran wrap (to keep moist)(or oil tops and cover with dishtowel,) let rise until doubled (approx 1½ inches above top of pan.) Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes. if you are freezing loaves for later, cut, wrap and freeze immediately after bread has cooled.

*add a teaspoon sugar to make honey flavor really pop. if you aren't using a dough enhancer, you can crush a vitamin c tablet and add into flour mixture to help bread keep longer. use this recipe as a jump off point. i have made yummy bread using just 1/4 cup sugar and 1/4 oil, i have substituted honey, white sugar, brown sugar, molasses and all combinations, mixtures of white and wheat flours, applesauce for oil, lots of variations. you can use this dough for rolls, cinnamon rolls, hamburger buns, breadsticks, whatever. today i made some hamburger buns too. it's foolproof!

the trick to making hamburger buns is to roll out the dough pretty thick- maybe 1" or 1 1/4". then i cut the circles using a wide mouth mason jar lid. wet the tops with water and sprinkle on the sesame seeds. voila!
and i found a great link where she explains how to get good slices and what to do out of the oven (because i'm lazy, and this is exactly what i would tell you anyway. go here.)

12 comments:

  1. Rachelle your hamburger buns look so good!!! How do you shape them up so nicely??? Thanks for this bread recipe, I have been using it since the homemaking class and Jared LOVES it. I have been mixing it in my bread maker on dough setting and then baking in the oven, it works great, but only for 1-2 loaves at a time. I will just have to wait until christmas to get my bosch to make 6 loaves at a time.

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  2. thanks meg! i edited to add some tips on how to make hamburger buns. i'm so happy you're making bread! it will be such a glorious day when you get a bosch! you will be cranking out the bread for all those boys who soon will be eating what, like a loaf a day, each? growing boys! speaking of which, wow, the hubs have been gone now like a 3 day. i think we've earned a girls trip!

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  3. Thank you thank you I will have to make the buns too. Yes, I completely agree, we have totally earned a girl trip, not just overnight either!

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  4. My hamburger buns are rising right now...yum! I was going to ask what kind of mixer you make your whole wheat bread it...but it looks like you have a Bosch? I've been making whole wheat bread every week for about a year, and my kitchen aid is starting to make weird noises, so I'm wondering what kind of mixer is best for this task!

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  5. hey aubri! i love my bosch for breadmaking. i grind fresh wheat with a nutrimill, which i also love. usually you can find a good package deal and save like $50 buying them together.
    if you do get a bosch, keep your kitchenaid too! i love having both. (i actually have 2 KA's and a bosch.) there are so many times you need to do two things at once~ make a cake/frosting, whip cream, potatoes, rolls, etc.
    you will be so glad you have both, especially come holiday time!
    hth!
    rachelle

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  6. This recipe calls for 9 cups of flour or 4? Also, how many loaves does this amount of dough make? Thanks!

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  7. hey ben,
    9 cups total. start with 4 cups and add 1 cup at a time until the dough feels just right- usually a total of 9 cups. it depends on how big your loaves are- mine are 1 1/2 pounds and it makes about 6 loaves. if you have big 2 pound loaf pans you'll get about 4 loaves. HTH! :)

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  8. http://www.flickr.com/photos/16458870@N00/sets/72157625031058373/detail/

    Came out really well, I think! Still a bit dense - I think my oven lies about its temperature. Gonna try closer to 375F next time and let it rise a little more. Used your recipe except I added some walnuts and sunflower seeds to the dough. Couldn't find "dough enhancer" but I did some searching to see what's in them, so instead I used: 1 capsule of soy lecithin, 1 capsule of vitamin C (1000mg), one tablespoon of gluten flour and one teaspoon of powdered ginger.

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  9. ben your bread looks awesome! i love the way it looks with the oatmeal top. i need to post my honey oat wheat loaf. so did you only get 3 loaves? they must have been BIG! yes it looks to me like they needed a bit more rise time. it depends on how warm your house is when you rise it. yeast is a fickle friend. :)
    great work, looks so yummy!!

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  10. I only got three loaves but they were REALLY dense. I think next time I am going to make four, but that amount of dough just didn't seem like it would rise enough for four, so I only put it into three pans. Four next time. Higher heat and maybe a little longer in the oven too... What elevation are you at?

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  11. Found your bread recipe via pinterest -- you're not kidding. It's completely foolproof. I made it completely differently the second time than I did the first time, and both batches turned out perfect. I'm trying the hamburger buns today! Bernard Clayton's Buttermilk White bread -- and now this one -- are my go-to recipes for making in a pinch and satisfying my family's love of homemeade bread. Thank you so much.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Found your bread recipe via pinterest -- you're not kidding. It's completely foolproof. I made it completely differently the second time than I did the first time, and both batches turned out perfect. I'm trying the hamburger buns today! Bernard Clayton's Buttermilk White bread -- and now this one -- are my go-to recipes for making in a pinch and satisfying my family's love of homemeade bread. Thank you so much.

    ReplyDelete

 

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