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| My bread making set up---Whisper Grain Mill on the left. Bosch mixer on the right. |
After you practice on quick breads, sooner or later you are going to get the urge to bake a "real" loaf of whole wheat bread. There are few things as satisfying as a hot loaf of bread fresh out of the oven. Just remember that making whole wheat bread takes practice. Don't be discouraged if your first efforts are less than perfect.
When I first started trying to bake bread, I made "bricks"— heavy, brick-shaped lumps of bread. My husband had to set them on end and cut them lengthwise to get a slice big enough to make a sandwich! Now I know that I was making two common mistakes. I "choked" the dough by adding too much flour, and I was not kneading the dough thoroughly enough.
The best way to learn to make whole wheat bread is to ask someone who has mastered the skill to come into your kitchen to teach you. I will be forever grateful to a generous lady by the name of Julie Stephenson who invited ladies from our church into her kitchen and taught us how to make whole wheat bread. It was the end of my brick loaves (and my husband was greatly relieved)!
However, I know many of you don’t have the option of learning in person from a skilled bread maker, so I will walk you through my own bread making process in this article.
The first step to successful whole wheat bread making is to find a good recipe. The recipe I am sharing with you originated from that bread making class taught by Julie, but through the years, I have tweaked and adjusted it to make it my own. It is important to use a recipe designed for 100% whole wheat flour. If you try to adapt a recipe designed for white, refined flour, you are much less likely to end up with a nice loaf.
For beginners, a recipe that makes two or three loaves is a good place to start, especially if you will be kneading the bread by hand. It is easier to knead a smaller amount of dough—and if it doesn't turn out very well, you have only two or three bricks to eat!
Let’s take a look at the ingredients to a great loaf of bread:
Whole Wheat Flour
Top quality flour is the foundation for a great loaf of bread. It is important to use flour from a quality,
high protein hard wheat. Whether you choose the milder flavored white wheat or traditional red wheat or a mixture of both is a matter of personal taste. I tend to mix white and red wheat in my bread, but have baked bread entirely with one or the other. My first choices for quality wheat are Bronze Chief red wheat and Prairie Gold white wheat, both from Wheat Montana. Although these are not certified organic wheats, they are grown without chemical pesticides and are non-GMO.
The highest quality, most nutritious whole wheat flour will be one you grind in your own kitchen, since the oils in whole wheat flour tend to go rancid quickly. I cannot go into all the reasons here as to why you do not want to go to the grocery store and buy a bag of whole wheat flour. Please read my blog post from May 2015 to learn about the problems with commercial flour. (http://runningwiththegrain.blogspot.com/2015/)
If you cannot buy a grain mill at the present time, try to find a friend who has one and would be willing to grind flour for you. A distant third place option is to buy whole wheat flour from a local natural foods store. Choose brands that are reliable such as Wheat Montana or Bob’s Red Mill.
Apple Cider Vinegar
This may seem like an odd thing to include in a bread recipe, but after trying it multiple times with and without the vinegar, I recommend using the vinegar. It does result in a nicer loaf. There are various theories about why this is so, but the most widely accepted theory is that the acidity helps the gluten develop and aids the action of the yeast. Do not think more is better in this case, however, since too much acidity will inhibit the growth of the yeast. Yeast grows best in a slightly acidic environment.
Apple cider vinegar may be a natural dough conditioner that will improve the texture of the bread. It might also have some preservative action that slows down the growth of mold. (Honey may also inhibit mold growth.) You want to add enough vinegar for the benefits, but not so much it will inhibit the yeast or add a flavor to your bread. Use only apple cider vinegar and not distilled white vinegar. Read the label carefully as many “brown” vinegars are actually distilled white vinegar with apple cider vinegar flavoring and color added.
You may also use ascorbic acid powder (Vitamin C) to create this slightly acidic environment for your yeast. (This is why ascorbic acid is a common addition to commercial dough conditioners.) Use only a small amount, perhaps 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon in a recipe for three loaves. I have tried ascorbic acid in my bread in the past, but in my opinion, apple cider vinegar gives better results and it is cheaper and easier to keep on hand.
If the dough is made from poor quality flour which does not contain enough gluten for bread making, or if the bread has not been kneaded enough to develop the gluten, these bubbles of carbon dioxide will escape instead of being trapped in the dough. The result is a loaf that raises poorly and is flat and dense.
Being a living organism, yeast must be treated carefully. It can lose its potency or even die if not handled and stored properly, or if it just becomes too old. Moisture, air exposure, and heat are the enemies of yeast. Store it in an air tight container in the freezer for best results.
What type of yeast is best? Let’s look at the options:
Active Dry Yeast – This is the common type of yeast found in foil packets in most grocery stores. It should be adequate, but not my first choice for bread making.
Rapid Rise Yeast – This strain of yeast is for recipes like cinnamon rolls that do well with one quick rise, and not recommended for bread making.
Instant Yeast – This yeast is a slightly different strain than active dry yeast, and has been ground into finer granules. The flavor this yeast imparts to the bread is subtly different than active dry yeast. In my opinion, this is the superior yeast for baking whole wheat bread. I use Saf Instant red label yeast. You may need to order it online.
Fresh Yeast or Cake Yeast – This yeast comes in a solid cake instead of powdered form (hence the name). The flavor from cake yeast is said to be more robust, but it is also quite perishable and only lasts in the refrigerator for about a week—which is the reason I have not tried to bake with this type of yeast.
Now let’s look at some ingredients that I do NOT recommend including in your bread:
Vital Wheat Gluten
Vital wheat gluten is made from wheat flour that has been hydrated to activate the gluten and then processed to remove everything but that gluten. It’s then dried and ground back into a powder. I used to add vital wheat gluten to my bread, but I don’t any more. Here’s why: First of all, while I used to lean on vital gluten to make a nicely textured whole wheat loaf, I find with my current recipe, I don’t need it. Secondly, vital wheat gluten is a highly processed food and much of it is imported from Australia, Canada, Europe . . . and China. And finally, I think God made wheat and other foods perfectly in their whole form. I do not think it is a usually good idea to take one part of a food and concentrate it or eat it in isolation. This is the reason I am not a proponent of eating wheat germ or wheat bran or adding them to foods. I generally like to stick to the whole foods as God created them.
The amount of gluten in whole wheat may be tolerated without trouble by most people, but when extra wheat gluten is added (and there is a generous amount added to almost every loaf of commercial whole wheat bread on the store shelves), you may be asking for gut trouble. Have you ever wondered why store bought whole wheat bread has such a different texture than homemade? It’s that added gluten! Don’t feel like you have to lean on this crutch to make whole wheat bread at home. You can definitely make a nice loaf of 100% whole wheat bread without added vital wheat gluten.
Commercial or Homemade Dough Conditioner Mixes
The main ingredient in these mixes in vital wheat gluten. Enough said.
Here is my popular “Norman Bread” recipe. I make six loaves at a time in my Bosch mixer and large convection oven, but I have cut the recipe in half for you.
Norman Bread (Yield–3 loaves)
Step One -- Softening the Bran
3 cups of very hot water
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
About 6 cups of fresh milled flour (or as fresh as you can get!)
This short soak will help soften the bran in the whole wheat four. Bran is sharp and can cut the strands of gluten that are needed for a loaf to rise nicely.
Since we are not dealing with the yeast yet, the temperature of the water in this step is not critical. I just use water as hot as it will come from my faucet. You do not want boiling hot water. Add the water, apple cider vinegar, honey, and oil in the bowl of your mixer, or in a large bowl if you are making bread by hand.
Do not use Crisco (or any similar product) or margarine in bread making. It causes the bread to be crumbly, and is made from unhealthful hydrogenated oils besides. Butter may be used in bread making. If you want to use butter, soften it by letting it set at room temperature, then wait to add it until the next step.
Do not use sugar in whole wheat bread making. It, too, will cause a crumbly loaf and is not a healthy choice.
Add the flour and mix until you have a thick batter consistency. You may need a bit more (or perhaps less) than 6 cups of flour. The consistency of this first mix is not critical either, so don’t sweat over it. Aim for a consistency that is about like muffin batter. Make sure all the flour is mixed in and wet.
Let this mix set for 20-30 minutes. More is time is okay, too.
Some people prefer to use milk as the liquid in their bread instead of water. Replacing all or part of the water with milk will results in a sweeter bread. Milk will also add additional protein to your bread. Be aware that dough made with milk will brown more readily than one made with water. Quite honestly, the reason I use water is simply because it is quicker and easier than heating milk.
Step Two -- Additional Ingredients
2-3 eggs
1 Tablespoon instant yeast
Optional 1 cup of warm water (110-115 degrees) with a drizzle of honey
2 1/4 teaspoons salt
I use 5 eggs to make 6 loaves of bread. To begin with, if your eggs are smaller, I would use 3. If they are extra large, I would use 2 eggs when making this three-loaf recipe. The next few times you bake, experiment and see if you like your bread
with more or less eggs added to decided if you want to use the extra egg or not.
The newer active dry yeasts and instant yeasts do not need to be proofed (soaked in warm water with a bit of honey). They can be added directly to your other dry ingredients and mixed into the dough. However—I always still proof my yeast. It only takes a few minutes and that way I know the yeast is strong and active before I add it to my bread.
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| Bubbly proofed yeast |
Yeast is quite fussy about temperatures, so use a thermometer to check your water temperature if proofing your yeast. With enough experience, you will be able to tell by feel if the water temperature is correct, but checking with a thermometer is always the safest way, especially when you are new to bread baking. If the water is too hot, the yeast will be killed; if it’s too cold, the yeast will not grow well. Either way your bread won't rise properly. Your water must be between 110-115 degrees.
Pour the 1 cup of warm water into a small bowl and add a drizzle of honey. I suggest beginning with water a bit hotter than 110-115 degrees, since as you pour it into the bowl, it will cool some. Check the temperature of the water in the bowl after adding the honey and before adding the yeast.
Sprinkle the 1 Tablespoon of instant yeast over the top of the water. Then use a fork or spoon to gently stir the yeast into the water until all of it is wet. Let is stand for about 5 minutes. It should puff up and become foamy. If it does not, your yeast is not good. Don’t use it!
While your yeast is proofing, add the eggs to your batter mix. If you are making bread by hand, you may wish to beat the eggs in a separate bowl before adding them. If using a stand mixer, you can just add them and let the mixer do the work. Pour in the bowl of proofed yeast and water. Add the salt. Mix everything together thoroughly.
Don't try to leave out the salt. It is necessary to control the growth of the yeast.
If you do not have a stand mixer and plan to knead your dough by hand, I suggest beating the batter with an electric hand mixer for four or five minutes before proceeding to the next step and add the rest of the flour.
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| Adding flour |
Step Four -- Knead the Dough
Whole wheat dough requires a LOT of kneading. Enough kneading is important to develop the gluten in the flour so it will stretch and not tear when the bread rises. (I have chosen to buy a Bosch machine to knead the dough thoroughly for me, but I have learned to made nice bread by hand.)
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| Final check of the dough. |
Knead the dough at least 15 minutes by hand. If using a machine, knead the dough for 8-10 minutes and no longer. It is virtually impossible to over-knead the dough by hand, but it is possible by machine. When you are done, the dough should feel elastic, springy and smooth.
When I am kneading the dough in my Bosch machine, I start the kneading with the dough on the soft side. When the kneading is done, I check the feel of the dough and mix in a bit more flour as required to bring the dough to the proper consistency. (And that's six loaves worth of dough in my Bosch mixer in that photo. Your mixer won't be that full!)
If you are kneading the dough by hand, dump the dough out on an oiled surface. Use oil on your hands and on your kneading surface to prevent sticking—not flour! I use extra virgin olive oil for this step, also. Often during the kneading is when too much flour gets added.
Step Five -- Let the Dough Rise
If you are letting the dough rise on your work surface, be sure to cover it with a (barely) damp towel for this rising. I let the dough rise right in my Bosch mixer bowl, covered loosely with the lid and/or a damp towel.
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| Weighing out the loaves |
Some people skip this rising and go directly to shaping the loaves. You can experiment and try both ways. I feel like letting the dough rise at this point results in a better texture of bread. The length of time you allow the dough to rise at this point can vary quite a bit without harm. I probably allow my dough to rise for anywhere from 20 to 45 minutes. If the air temperature is cooler, the dough will rise more slowly.
Step Six -- Divide the Dough and Shape the Loaves
At this point, I remove the dough from my Bosch mixer and put it on the work surface. For me, this is my kitchen table. As mentioned above, use oil on your hands and work surface, not flour!
I use a kitchen scale to weigh the dough so I get uniform loaves. This is not necessary, but it’s nice! I use about 1.5 pounds of dough for each loaf, sometimes slightly more. If you don’t have a scale, it’s fine to just “eyeball” dividing the dough into three parts. Now you are ready to shape your loaves.
Let’s take a moment at this point to discuss bread pans. The size of your bread pans is important. A pan that is too wide will results in a flatter low loaf which is not as nicely shaped. A good size for bread pans is 8-1/2 x 4-1/2 x 2-1/2 inches.
Does the material the loaf pan is made from matter? You bet it does! Choose steel pans for baking bread. Glass is an insulator and slows the flow of heat from the oven air into the bread dough. I have not tried silicone bread pans. If you have, tell me about your experience with them in the comment section after this article!
I recommend avoiding non-stick coatings. They are convenient, but may leach harmful chemicals into your food. I spray my pans with extra virgin olive oil to avoid sticking. This also helps to build up a patina on your baking pans. A patina is when through the repeated heat of baking, the oil on the pan begins to polymerize and form a film that is like a natural non-stick coating. You want this! Don’t scrub it off!
In fact, I recommend that you never wash your bread pans at all (except for washing new pans after you bring them home from the store). I wipe my pans out with a paper towel and a bit of olive oil when needed, but most of the time, I just put them away for next time without any wiping or washing. Never put your bread pans in the dishwasher.
Now let’s get back to the business of shaping those loaves! Take one loaf’s worth of dough and pat it down with your (oiled) hands to flatten it somewhat.
Next take an oiled wooden rolling pin and gently roll
the dough into a
long rectangular shape. Don’t apply too much pressure to the dough
or
it will begin to tear instead of stretch.
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If the dough seems tight and does not want to stay stretched out, you can “spank” the dough by slapping it with the flat of your hand or by throwing it down on the table. This can be rather fun if you have had a frustrating day! Or you can just let the dough rest for a few minutes to help the gluten relax.
Fold the long rectangle of dough into thirds by folding each end toward
the middle, again making a rectangle, but with the length going the
opposite direction. The photos will make this easier to understand.
Now use the rolling pin to roll the dough up and down across the folded rectangle of dough. The idea is to work out any large air bubbles.
Use your hands to roll up the rectangle. Start at the end closest to you. Turn in the corners a little bit as you begin. Try to keep the roll tight. Use your fingers
to tuck in the ends as you go.
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| Tucking the ends in as I go |
Turn the completed roll over and pinch along the edge of the dough to
seal it to the roll. Pat down the area you have pinched.
Pinch both ends of the roll together also and gently tuck them in and work them into a rounded shape. (I cup my hands around the ends to do this.)
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| Using my thumbs to tuck in the ends |
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| Smoothing and rounding the ends |
Put your hands along each side of the formed loaf and pick it up by the middle to place it in the pan. Repeat this process with the other two loaves.
Step Seven -- Final Rising
Cover the loaves with a damp dish towel and let them rise.
Turn the oven on at this point to preheat to 400 degrees. (You are not going to bake the loaves that hot, but they benefit from putting them into a hotter oven.)
Most recipes say to let the loaves rise until they are doubled in volume, but I do not let mine rise quite this long. If you gently poke a finger into the end of the loaf and the indentation stays (instead of quickly filling back in), then the loaves are ready to bake.
I feel that the best results in baking bread comes from starting the loaves out at 350 degrees for 15 minutes and then finishing with 25-35 minutes at 300 degrees. When your 15 minute timer goes off, do not open the oven door, but simply reset the oven temperature for 300 and your timer for 25 minutes.
When this timer goes off, check the loaves for doneness. It's fine to take them out of the oven (and out of the pan) to check them and put them back in the oven if more baking is needed. You want them to be nicely browned and to sound hollow when tapped on the bottom with your finger. Your oven will bake a bit differently than mine, so I can’t tell you exactly how long your loaves will need to bake. (I use a convection oven and bake six loaves at a time.)
Take a moment to enjoy the amazing aroma of baking bread that is filling your house!
Once your loaves are cooled, store them in airtight bags or containers. Freeze what you will not use in 4-7 days. Go with the shorter number of days in humid summer weather. Your bread should last longer without molding in cooler, dry winter weather. Putting bread in the refrigerator dries it out. I keep my bread on the counter or in the freezer.
Remember what I said in the beginning of this article: Baking whole wheat bread takes practice. Don’t be discouraged if your first efforts less than perfect. Keep practicing and ask questions from experienced bread bakers.
