Homemade Whole Wheat Bread...Step by Step

Oh goodness...it has taken far too long to get this post finished! I did spend a little time away on a small family vaca in the mountains...in a tent trailer...without even an outhouse! AAGGHH! But that is a story for another day, so for now, let's talk about whole wheat bread making...step by step!

This recipe is the one I use, I have posted about it before, so it is probably not new, but I thought it might be helpful to do a step by step tutorial for anyone who has tried to make it and it didn't work out, or just hasn't made it in awhile. Now, if you have a KitchenAid and don't think your machine can handle such a big recipe, give it another try by cutting the recipe in half. I have had others try this and have success.

Here we go...

Combine your warm water and a few cups of freshly ground whole wheat flour.

Does your machine have a "jog" switch? If so, use it a few times to just incorporate the water and flour a bit. If it doesn't, just turn your mixer on for 10 seconds or so, the two ingredients don't have be well mixed.


Now start to add the rest of your ingredients...oil, honey (do it in this order and your honey will just slide out of the measuring cup), salt, vital wheat gluten, dough enhancer, and SAF instant yeast.



What is Vital wheat gluten and Dough enhancer you might ask? Vital wheat gluten improves the elasticity in your bread while Dough enhancer makes it softer and improves the shelf life. Do you HAVE to use these things? No, but they will improve your final product over the long term.


OK, now turn your mixer to the lowest setting and start adding the remainder of your flour.



I usually add about a cup at a time for a few cups, then I add 1/2 cup at a time.





Keep adding...



Notice how my dough is sticking to the side of my bowl? I slowly add flour until the sides of the bowl start to become clean. If you are using a KitchenAid and you don't see this happening, just stop your mixer now and then to check the texture of the dough...you want it to be tacky, but not sticky, you need to be able to work with it. But as a general rule, it is better to add TOO LITTLE flour that TOO MUCH, so if you dough is a bit sticky...don't worry, you will still have great bread.

Just let the dough knead in the mixer for about 10 minutes.

By this time, you can see that the sides of my mixing bowl are completely clean. That is what you want.

You want a nice glob of dough...is that an appetizing word, glob? Sorry.

Next, move your dough to an oil sprayed surface (like PAM) not a floured one. At this point you have achieved your desired dough consistency, you don't want to be adding more flour.

Divide the dough into three equal parts (the recipe below says it makes 4 loaves, I make 3 because I use 4x10 bread pans). I rarely accomplish this on the first try, I am usually weighing the dough in my hands, cutting off a piece from one and adding it to another until I get fairly equal loaves.

Then either roll or flatten with your hand each dough segment (one at a time of course). This helps work out any air bubbles in your dough.

Next, roll the dough into a nicely shaped loaf. Sorry about the gimpy hand picture...I was trying to do two things at once...apparently not very well!

Your loaf should look something like this.

Now, put it into a greased loaf pan.

Then it is time to rise. You can do this two ways. #1...on your counter. #2...in a slightly warm oven. You can decide what works for you. The oven method is very fast, but my oven is acting weird, so I raise mine on my counter. Which ever way you choose, just wait to bake until your loaves are double in size.

Here are my loaves...ready to go in the oven.

If you choose to raise your loaves on the counter and you let them get as big as mine, you will want to preheat your oven and stick the loaves in when the oven is about 200-250 degrees (oven thermometer necessary) and cook for about 25-27 minutes (depending on your oven), but if you don't raise them as much, put them in a cold oven and bake for 30 min. at 350 degrees.

And after 25-30 minutes this is what you get...warm and tasty whole wheat bread! Nothing better!

To test your bread for doneness, tap the top and bottom of the loaf and listen for a "hollow" sound. If you hear that, you are good to go. If not, stick the loaves back in for 3-5 minutes.

FOOLPROOF BREAD

(Bosch Kitchen Recipes)

Small Batch (4 loaves in 4x8 pans)
4 C warm water
1 TB Salt
1/3 C Oil
1/3 C Honey
1 1/2 TB Dough Enhancer
1-2 T Vital Wheat Gluten
2 TB SAF Yeast
7 C Wheat Kernels

Freshly grind wheat into flour (medium setting). Add water and several cups of freshly ground whole wheat flour to mixing bowl with dough hook in place. Mix using a few short bursts of the jogging switch. Add the salt, oil, honey, dough enhancer, vital wheat gluten and instant yeast and jog briefly. While the mixer is kneading at speed one, slowly add whole wheat flour until dough pulls away from the side of the mixing bowl. This normally will take most of the whole wheat flour you have ground. It is better to add too little flour than too much flour. Allow the mixer to knead the dough until the gluten in the whole wheat flour is properly developed. This takes about 10-12 minutes. Your dough should have a slightly tacky texture. Turn oven on to preheat to 150 degrees. Shape into loaves and place in pans (previously well greased). Turn oven off. Put loaves in warm oven to rise until double in size. This will take approx. 25 minutes, but watch your loaves so you don't raise them for too long. When loaves are double in size, set oven to 350 degrees an turn it on (leave loaves in the oven). Bake for 30-35 minutes. When loaves are done, immediately remove from pans and let cool on wire rack. (Hint: so pans won't stick, wipe out while hot and don't wash them.)

Tomorrow I will be showing you how to use this same dough to make cinnamon rolls! I am telling you...you will be hooked!