Light Wheat Bread Recipes

LIGHT WHEAT BREAD (BREAD MACHINE)

Steps:

• Place ingredients in the order given in bread machine bucket.
• Process on basic/white cycle, medium color crust setting.
• I use warm (tepid) water and the rapid (3 hr) setting.
• You can use 1 1/2 teaspoons yeast, but I've found that 2 teaspoons produces a fluffier loaf.

LIGHT WHEAT BREAD

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine 2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, sugar, salt and yeast. In a saucepan, heat water and butter to 120°-130°. Add to the dry ingredients; beat until smooth. Stir in enough remaining all-purpose flour to form a stiff dough. , Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Cover and let rest for 20 minutes., Divide dough in half; shape into loaves. Place in two greased 8x4-in. loaf pans. Cover and refrigerate for up to 12 hours. , Remove from the refrigerator; let stand in a warm place for 30 minutes. , Bake at 400° for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pans to wire racks to cool.

BREAD MACHINE WHEAT BREAD

Steps:

• In bread machine pan, place all ingredients in order suggested by manufacturer. Select basic bread setting. Choose crust color and loaf size if available. Bake according to bread machine directions (check dough after 5 minutes of mixing; add 1 to 2 tablespoons of water or flour if needed).

LIGHT WHEAT ROLLS

Steps:

• In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.
• Mix sugar, salt, 1/4 cup melted butter, egg, and whole wheat flour into yeast mixture. Stir in all-purpose flour, 1/2 cup at a time, until dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Turn dough out onto a well floured surface, and knead until smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes. Lightly oil a large bowl, place dough in bowl, and turn to coat. Cover with a damp cloth, and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.
• Punch down dough, cover, and let rise in warm place until doubled again, about 30 minutes.
• Grease 2 dozen muffin cups. Punch down dough, and divide into two equal portions. Roll each into a 6x14 inch rectangle, and cut rectangle into twelve 7x1 inch strips. Roll strips up into spirals, and place into muffin cups. Brush tops with melted butter. Let rise uncovered in a warm place 40 minutes, or until doubled in bulk.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from oven, and brush again with melted butter.

SIMPLE WHOLE WHEAT BREAD

Steps:

• In a large bowl, mix warm water, yeast, and 1/3 cup honey. Add 5 cups white bread flour, and stir to combine. Let set for 30 minutes, or until big and bubbly.
• Mix in 3 tablespoons melted butter, 1/3 cup honey, and salt. Stir in 2 cups whole wheat flour. Flour a flat surface and knead with whole wheat flour until not real sticky - just pulling away from the counter, but still sticky to touch. This may take an additional 2 to 4 cups of whole wheat flour. 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 doubled.
• Punch down, and divide into 3 loaves. Place in greased 9 x 5 inch loaf pans, and allow to rise until dough has topped the pans by one inch.
• Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 25 to 30 minutes; do not overbake. Lightly brush the tops of loaves with 2 tablespoons melted butter or margarine when done to prevent crust from getting hard. Cool completely.

PERFECT WHOLE WHEAT BREAD

Steps:

• Dissolve the yeast and sugar in the warm water. Let stand for 15 minutes until foamy.
• While the yeast is working, whisk together the melted butter, light brown sugar, egg, milk, and salt. Make sure everything is dissolved and thoroughly combined. With the dough hook attachment, turn the mixer on low, and add the whole wheat flour to the milk mixture one cup at a time.
• Now add the foamy yeast liquid to the dough, keeping the mixer on low speed until you get a well combined wet dough mixture (see the photo). This process will take a few minutes. Now it's time to add the all-purpose flour, ½ cup at a time, with the mixer still at low speed. Added on 4/12/2018: Change to adding 1 tablespoon at a time with the last 1/2 cup of all-purpose flour until the dough "lifts" away from the sides of the mixing bowl, because you might not need all 3 cups of all-purpose flour in the drier months.
• If the dough is still wet, add one tablespoon of flour at a time, until the dough "lifts" from the sides of the mixing bowl. Try not to add too much flour, though. The dough should be soft without sticking to your hands or the mixing bowl. Once the dough ball is formed, knead the dough for another 5 to 7 minutes. The additional kneading helps generate more gluten, and gluten is what gives the bread its signature texture!
• Cover the dough with a clean kitchen towel, and let it proof at room temperature for 1 hour, or until it doubles in size.
• While the dough is proofing, grease two loaf pans with butter, and set them aside. I usually just rub a cold stick of butter along the sides and bottoms of the pans.
• Once the dough is done with the first hour of proofing, punch it down, and put it back in the mixer. Mix the dough on low speed for 3 to 5 minutes to get rid of any air bubbles. Divide the dough in half. Shape each half into a loaf, and place into each of your greased loaf pans.
• Cover the loaves once again with your clean kitchen towel, and let them proof for another 30 minutes at room temperature, until almost doubled in size. (The dough will continue to rise during baking as well.)
• While the dough is proofing, place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 375°F. Before putting the loaves in the oven, quickly brush the tops with oil. Bake for 30-35 minutes. If the color of the bread gets too dark, tent the loaves with aluminum foil.
• After baking, carefully take the loaves out of the baking pan, and let them cool on a rack. If not, hot steam will moisten the crust, which you don't want! Once the bread is completely cooled, store them in zip-top bags.

AWESOME LIGHT WHEAT BREAD

Steps:

• Add yeast and sugar to 1/3 cup warm water. Set aside and allow to proof for 5-10 minutes.
• Place bread flour, whole wheat flour, salt and 4 1/2 teaspoons of oil in food processor. Process for approximately 10 seconds to combine.
• Add the egg and the 2/3 cup cold water to the yeast mixture and mix well.
• With the processor running, add the yeast mixture through the feed tube in a slow steady stream as fast as the flour will absorb it.
• When the liquid is absorbed and mixture has formed a ball of dough that has cleaned the sides of the work bowl, process for 45-60 seconds longer to knead.
• Place the 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil in a large bowl. Using your fingers/hands, coat the sides of the bowl. Rub your hands with the oil to make handling the dough easier.
• Remove the dough from the workbowl and place in oiled bowl. Flip dough over so it is oiled on all sides. Lay plastic wrap on top of dough to keep it from drying while rising (you should have enough oil on the top of your dough so the plastic won't cling to it).
• Place dough in a warm, draft free area and allow to rise until double in bulk. I warm my oven slightly (2 minutes) and allow the dough to rise there. It is quicker. The dough has risen enough when you poke it with your finger and the indentation stays.
• Once dough has risen, remove it from the bowl and punch it down. Reshape it to fit in a greased bread pan. Re-place plastic wrap (being sure you put the oiled side down) and allow to rise a second time, once again until doubled.
• Preheat oven to 375`. Bake for 20-30 minutes or until your loaf is brown on top and sounds hollow when you tap it.