Creating seasonal recipes that are inspired by my passion for local, organic foods

Saturday, October 18, 2008

Crunchy's Favorite Whole Wheat Bread

Whole wheat breadThis recipe is based on one I found in Baking Illustrated, published by the editors of Cook's Illustrated, one of my favorite food magazines. This bread also freezes fantastically and, after thawing, tastes just a good as when it's just made.

Ingredients
1 1/2 tablespoons instant yeast
2 1/3 cups warm water (110 degrees)
1/4 cup honey
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2 1/2 teaspoons salt

1/4 cup dark rye flour
1/2 cup wheat germ

3 cups whole wheat flour
2 3/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

Instructions
Mix the yeast, water, honey, butter and salt in the bowl of a standing mixer with a spoon. Mix in the rye flour, wheat germ, 1 cup of the whole wheat flour and 1 cup of the all-purpose flours.

Add the remaining whole wheat flour and all-purpose flour. Attach the dough hook and knead at low speed for 8 - 10 minutes or until the dough is shiny and elastic. If you don't have a dough hook, knead by hand for 5 to 10 minutes.

Put the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, covered with plastic wrap, and let rise in a warm area for about an hour (or until it has doubled in volume).

Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Gently press down the dough and divide in two. Form each piece into a roll 9 inches long and place into a buttered and floured bread loaf pan (9 x 5) with the seam down. Cover again and let rise for 30 minutes.

Bake for 40 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 205 degrees. Transfer loaves immediately to a wire rack, letting cool to room temperature.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Will this still turn out nicely if I substitute margarine for the butter?

Crunchy Chicken said...

Janell - I don't know. I don't ever bake with margarine.

I'm sure there are cooking sites that tell you how to substitute margarine in baked goods, I just don't know offhand.

Mel Mazz said...

I have been thinking about getting serious about bread baking... So thanks for this recipe. Have you ever used whole wheat pastry flour for either the whole wheat or the white flour? I am not sure what ww pastry would do, it's lower gluten and protein, maybe it would not rise as much? (sort of counter-intuitive for pastry flour). I use it in all my pancakes, banana breads, etc. and it works great in non-yeast applications. Can't find local wheat or pastry wheat here, yet, though! (Chicago) Love the blogs, hope your family is doing reasonably well.