Whole Wheat Bread

Since I started baking my own bread, the only type I have made is the milk loaf.  It’s super easy and tastes great.  But I was sure there was more to baking bread than just the milk loaf, so I decided to try something different this week.

So…Whole Wheat Bread..how’s that for a change? 🙂

It’s what we call brown bread, or wholemeal bread, if you may.

I realize that whole wheat bread does not rise as much as regular bread, so I decided to mix the whole wheat flour with bread flour.  It turned out quite all right, though a little dense and heavy, and as expected, because it did not rise quite as much, the loaf turned out pretty square.  Proofing time was also relatively longer.

I’m glad I tried it though, because now I have an alternative kind of bread to bake. 🙂

Here’s my recipe:

Whole Wheat Bread
~Yields 1 loaf~

Ingredients:

• 1½ cups whole wheat flour
• 1 cup unbleached bread flour
• 1½ tsp active dry yeast
• 5 fl oz milk
• 2½ tbsp butter
• ¹â„³ cup granulated sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 egg

Directions:

1. Pour milk, butter, sugar and salt in a measuring cup or saucepan.
2. Heat in microwave or over a small flame till temperature reaches about 110°F.
3. In a stand mixer, mix whole wheat flour, bread flour and yeast.
4. Pour in liquid mixture and continue mixing on low speed until sticky consistency is attained.
5. Add in the egg and mix.
6. Using a dough hook or using your hands, knead the dough until it feels slightly elastic.  If using a stand mixer, knead until the dough clears the base of the bowl.  You may need to add a little flour at a time to achieve the correct consistency.
7. Form dough into a ball, place in a large bowl and cover with a tea towel or plastic cling wrap.  Let it rise for about 2 hours until about double in size (whole wheat breads need longer proofing time).
8. After it has risen, punch out the air and roll the dough out into a rectangle.
9. Roll it into a loaf swiss-roll style, making sure to tuck in the dough as much as possible to avoid air bubbles in the loaf.
10. Allow to rise for another hour or so.
11. Bake for 30 minutes in a 395ºF (200ºC) preheated oven.
12. Remove from the baking pan and let the loaf cool down before slicing.