Friday, February 11, 2011

Whole Wheat Bread

2 1/3 cups warm water
1/4 cup honey
4 tablespoons butter , melted (oil or margarine can be substituted)
1 1/2 tablespoons yeast
2 1/2 teaspoons table salt
3 cups whole wheat flour
2 3/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, plus extra for work surface


1. Combine 1 cup whole wheat flour, 1 cup white flour, the yeast, and the salt in the
bowl of a mixer.
2. Add warm water, honey, and melted butter. Mix on low speed until ingredients are
combined, then beat on medium speed for 3 minutes.
3. Mix in the remaining whole wheat flour, and add enough of the white flour to make a
kneadable dough (it should still be fairly soft, though).
4. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead for 5 minutes, or until smooth and
elastic(if you mixed the dough by hand, you may need to knead it a bit longer).
5. Put the dough back into the mixing bowl, cover with a wet tea towel, and let rise in a
warm place for 45 minutes (an hour if your house is cold).
6. Punch the dough down, divide it in half, and roll each half out into a rectangular shape.
Starting from the short end, roll each loaf up, and place into a greased 9×5 inch bread
pan. The rolling may seem like a fussy step, but it produces a loaf with a better crumb and
structure, and it also will make your loaves look better.
7. Cover the loaf with a wet tea towel and let rise in a warm place for 30 minutes, or until
doubled.
8. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 30 minutes, or until the bottom of the loaf
sounds hollow when tapped. Alternatively, you can insert an instant read thermometer
into the long side of the loaf…when it reads 205 degrees, the bread is done. Turn out
onto a wire rack to cool before slicing