I was looking through the archives of this blog the other day and in particular, at the bread recipes I have posted so far. There I found recipes for flatbreads, focaccia, braided bread, dinner rolls, semolina bread, biscuits, sweet breads, and even soda bread. I guess it is no secret that I absolutely love all kinds of bread and cannot imagine any meal without it!
Today’s recipe is for whole-wheat sandwich bread that is as good fresh as it is toasted. I find that whole-wheat breads that use 100 percent whole-wheat flour often tend to be unpleasantly dense and dry. I have experimented with different ratios of whole-wheat to bread flour and I found that a 2:1 ratio yields a lighter bread with a much better texture, because of the higher gluten found in the bread flour. Honey balances the nutty flavor of the wheat flour and adds a pleasant earthy note to the loaf. Molasses on the other hand, will give the bread a deeper color and a richer sweetness.
This bread does not take much time to put together, but it does require some time to rise and then rise again. If you get ambitious, double the recipe using a stand mixer to incorporate the ingredients. Enjoy one now and freeze the second to enjoy later in the week!
Whole-Wheat Sandwich Bread
- 2¼ tsp. (1 pkg.) active dry yeast
- 1 tsp. sugar
- 1 cup warm water (110 °F)
- 2 TBSP. honey (or molasses)
- 1 TBSP. olive oil
- 1¾ cups whole-wheat flour
- ¼ cup wheat germ
- 1-1¼ cups bread flour (or regular AP flour)
- 1 tsp. salt
- In a measuring cup, dissolve yeast and sugar in water; let it stand until foamy, about 10 minutes. Stir in the honey (or molasses) and the olive oil.
- In a food processor fitted with a metal blade, mix the whole-wheat flour, the wheat germ, 1 cup of the bread flour, and salt until well combined. With the motor running, pour in yeast mixture in a slow, steady stream. When the dough forms a ball, stop the machine. The dough should be slightly sticky; if the dough is too wet, add some of the remaining flour, 1 tablespoon at a time. (Instead of a food processor, you can also use a stand mixer, equipped with a dough hook.) Shape the dough into a ball; turn over in a greased bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let it rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1½ hours.
- Preheat the oven to 400° F.
- Punch down the dough and knead it briefly on a floured board. Form into a smooth, 10-inch oblong loaf. Place the dough in a greased 10”x5” loaf pan. Let it rise again until almost doubled in size, about 45 minutes.
- In a small ball, beat an egg white and brush it lightly on the top of the loaf. Sprinkle with some sesame seeds, if you wish (this is optional). With a sharp knife, cut three, ½-inch-deep slashes on top of the loaf. This slashing is necessary to release some of the trapped gas, which can deform your bread. It also makes the top of your bread look pretty. (Yes, I did forget my slashes on this loaf!)
- Place a very small pan (like an 8” cake pan) filled with 1 cup of water in the corner of the lowest self in the oven. Slide the bread onto the middle rack of the oven and close the oven door. (The steam from the water in the small pan will keep the oven moist and allow the bread to rise some more, preventing it from forming a crust right away.)
- Bake the loaf for about 30-35 minutes, or, until the top is a deep golden brown. When you remove the loaf from the oven, you will hear it crackle for a while. In baking terms, this is called "singing" and it is exactly the sound you want to hear!
The bread I used for this recipe is King Arthur’s bread flour. If I don’t have it in my pantry, the AP (All-purpose) variety of the same brand works very well too.
∼Everything you need to know about flour∼
The primary differences among different types of flour are the quantity of the wheat germ and bran that are milled with the flour, the type of wheat used for the flour, and, the protein content of that wheat. When the protein in the flour comes in contact with water and heat it produces gluten, which gives elasticity and strength to baked goods. Different types of flour contain different amounts of protein.
Bread Flour: has a 12-14% protein content and it is milled from hard wheat. The high gluten content is important for bread, as it allows the dough to capture the created gasses during the mixing, leavening, and cooking processes, and expand from dense to light. Bread flour is good for making breads and some pastries.
All-Purpose Flour (AP flour) has a 10-12% protein content and is made from a blend of hard and soft wheat flours. It can be bleached or unbleached. Southern brands of bleached, all-purpose flour have a lower protein content (8%) as they are made from soft wheat. Moreover, the same national brand can have different protein contents depending on what area of the country in the U.S. you are buying it. AP flour is good for making some cakes, cookies, and pastries.
Whole-Wheat Flour: is wheat that has been milled into flour with the germ and bran still attached. Whole-wheat flour is high in protein, but the protein from the germ and bran is not well turned into gluten, so whole-wheat breads tend to be heavier, but more flavorful, than white flour breads. Most people find a 100% whole wheat bread to be too dense and heavy, due to the lack of gluten. By mixing it together with bread flour you get some of the taste and nutritional benefits of the whole-wheat flour, with the leavening ability of the higher gluten white bread flour.
Cake Flour: has a 6-8% protein content and is made from soft wheat flour. It is chlorinated to further break down the strength of the gluten and is smooth and velvety in texture. Cake flour is good for making cakes, biscuits and cookies where a tender and delicate texture is desired. To make your own – one cup sifted cake flour can be substituted with 3/4 cup sifted bleached all-purpose flour plus 2 tablespoons cornstarch.
Pastry flour: is similar to cake flour, (also made from soft wheat flour) although it has not been chlorinated. With an 8-10% protein content, it is also made from soft wheat flour. It is soft and ivory in color. Pastry flour is good for making (surprise!) pastries, pie crusts, and cookies.
Self-Rising Flour: has 8-9% protein and contains AP flour plus baking powder and salt. To make your own: add 1 teaspoons baking powder and ¼ teaspoon salt per cup of AP flour.
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