Wholemeal Bread Recipes

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.

NO-KNEAD WHOLE WHEAT BREAD

Steps:

• Make the dough: In a large bowl whisk the flour, whole wheat flour, yeast and salt.
• In a separate bowl, combine the honey and water. Add the water mixture to the dry ingredients, and stir until you form a ball of dough and it cleans the bowl (see video above). If your dough seems very dry, add more water (do this 1 tablespoon at a time) until desired consistency is achieved.
• Cover with plastic wrap. Let the dough rise for 18-24 hours at room temperature (about 70 degrees). Your dough is ready when it has puffed up in volume, about double in size.
• Once the dough has proofed knock the air out with your hands.
• Shape the dough by transferring onto a lightly floured surface. Fold the dough in half and then fold it in half again. Shape the dough into a ball by tucking the sides underneath itself.
• Place the dough on a lined baking tray seam side down. Cover with cling wrap and a kitchen towel and proof for roughly 45 minutes -1 1/2 hours depending on how warm your kitchen is. You will want it to have doubled in size. (Note: Watch the above video on how to proof in a bowl)
• Once the dough has risen a second time, score the top with a blade or sharp knife. Bake it off at 400oF (200oC) for roughly 50-60 minutes. ( Watch for baking bread tips https://www.biggerbolderbaking.com/7-common-breadmaking-mistakes/)Want to bake this bread in a dutch oven? I put it in at 450oF (225oC), then immediately turn it down to 400oF (200oF) and bake for 30 minutes with the lid on. Then remove lid and bake for the remaining time.
• Once the bread has formed a crisp golden crust you can transfer it to a wire rack and allow to cool completely to room temperature before slicing. Another tip to tell if it is fully bake is if you tip the base of the bread and it makes a hollow sound.
• Cover and store at room temperature for up to 3 days. This bread also freezes really well.
• * Dry Active Yeast needs to be sponged before use. This means allowing the yeast to hydrate in the tepid liquid you are using in your bread. It will form a sponge which you stir through before adding to the flour, this will ensure success.

SOFT WHOLE WHEAT BREAD | 100% WHOLEMEAL BREAD

Steps:

• Sieve the flour with salt or just mix the flour with the salt.
• Add the 1 tsp instant yeast and just lightly mix. You can even mix the instant yeast granules with ½ cup water and sugar in a separate bowl as shown in the video. Then add this mixture to the wheat flour. Sometimes instant yeast granules do not dissolve completely in the dough and thus you can dissolve them separately in water.
• Then add sugar, oil (or oil or butter) and curd.
• First just mix everything lightly and then slowly adding water in intervals knead to a smooth, soft dough.
• Add more water if required. The dough should be slightly sticky.
• Brush some water all over the dough and keep in a deep wide bowl covered with a lid or kitchen towel for 30-35 minutes.
• Remove and then lightly punch & knead the dough again.
• Make a log of the dough and seam the edges.
• Place it in a greased loaf pan for 40-45 minutes.
• Cover and let it rise.
• Preheat the oven at 220 degrees c for atleast 20 minutes.
• Once the bread has risen in the loaf pan, keep in the oven and bake at 220 degrees celsius for 22 to 25 minutes or until the bread sounds hollow when tapped.
• If the wheat bread begins to brown from the top, then cover with butter paper or aluminium foil.
• When whole wheat bread is still lightly hot, remove from the loaf pan and keep it on a wired tray to cool.
• Warm 1 or 1.25 cups of water.
• Add 1 tbsp sugar and dry active yeast.
• Stir and let the yeast activate.
• This usually takes about 10 to 12 minutes.
• Sieve both the flour with salt.
• Add the proofed yeast mixture, ghee/butter/oil and yogurt.
• Mix all the ingredients first.
• Then begin to knead the dough. Add more water if required. The dough should be slightly sticky.
• Continue to knead, till you get a smooth dough which when stretched doesn't tear.
• Rub or brush water all over the dough and keep in a covered bowl to leaven for 1.5 to 2 hours.
• After 1.5 to 2 hours, remove the dough and punch and deflate it lightly.
• Roll a single log of the dough. Tuck the edges down on both sides of the bread loaf.
• Place the bread in a greased loaf pan (9×5 inches) with the tucked edges facing downwards.
• Cover the loaf pan and let the dough leaven for 40 minutes to 1 hour.
• Preheat the oven at 220 degrees c for at least 20 minutes.
• Once the bread has risen in the loaf pan, give a 2 to 5 mm cross or slits on the bread and lightly brush with milk.
• Then keep in the oven and bake bread at 220 degrees celsius for 22 to 25 minutes or until the bread sounds hollow when tapped.

WHOLE WHEAT BREAD

Steps:

• In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in 3/4 cup warm water. Add the oil, sugar, molasses, salt and remaining water. Combine flours; add 4-5 cups flour to mixture. Beat until smooth. Add enough remaining flour to form a firm dough. , Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour., Punch dough down. Turn onto a lightly floured surface; divide in half. Shape each portion into a loaf. Place in 2 greased 9x5-in. loaf pans. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 30 minutes. , Bake at 350° until golden brown, 40-45 minutes. Remove from pans to cool on wire racks.

EASY 100% WHOLE WHEAT BREAD

Steps:

• Mix the warm water, honey, and yeast in a stand-mixer bowl until mixture becomes foamy, about 5 minutes.
• Add half the whole wheat flour, olive oil, and salt to the mixture. Mix with a spatula or wooden spoon until incorporated. Let sit for 1 to 2 minutes.
• Mix with a dough hook attachment on low speed, slowly adding the remaining whole wheat flour, increasing the speed to high. Mix on high until the batter is combined and not sticking to the sides of the bowl, about 7 minutes. Cover the bowl with a towel and let rest for 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, prepare a 9x5-inch loaf pan with parchment paper. Flour a surface to work the dough.
• Place the dough onto the floured work surface and shape into a loaf. Use more flour if necessary. Place into the prepared loaf pan.
• Let shaped dough sit in a warm place until it has risen over the top of the pan, about 1 hour.
• Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Bake in the preheated oven until top of the loaf sounds hollow when tapped, about 35 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool for 15 to 20 minutes before removing from the pan and transferring to a wire rack. Let cool an additional hour before slicing; otherwise it will feel doughy.

WHOLEMEAL BREAD

Steps:

• You will need a 2 lb loaf tin, well buttered.
• Seive the flour, salt, sugar and yeast in a large bowl and pour in the hand-hot water with the melted butter.
• Mix with your hands to form a dough, then scrape it out of the bowl on to a work surface.
• Knead for 10-15 minutes, adding more water if necessary (the dough should be very soft -it is better to have too much water than too little).
• Transfer the dough into a greased bowl, cover it with a clean, damp tea towel and leave to rise in a warm place ideally for two hours.
• Next, roll the dough into a long sausage, about twice as long as the tin, flatten it with your knuckles into a long strip and fold it into three.
• Fit the dough in the buttered tin, with the fold beneath, pressing in on the edges so that you will have a nice rounded top.
• Sprinkle the surface with a generous dusting of flour, then cover the tin with a damp, clean tea towel and leave to rise in a warm place for further 30-40 minutes.
• Meanwhile, pre-heat the oven to gas mark 6/200C/400°F.
• After the second-rising, bake in the centre shelf of the oven for 40 minutes, until the loaf sounds hollow when removed from the tin and tapped on the bottom.
• Return the bread back into the oven, but this time without the tin, upside down for a further 5-10 minutes to crisp the base and the sides.
• Cool the bread on a wire rack.