100% Whole Grain Goodness

When I began making my own whole wheat bread several years ago, I tried many different recipes to find one that had excellent texture, was flavorful, and rose nicely. That's an easy solution to find if you use a bit of all purpose flour in the mix, but I wanted a good 100% whole wheat loaf! I finally managed to come up with a combination that fit my criteria, and I have been baking this recipe for years now. Occasionally I will get bored and make different varieties, like honey oat or seven grain with seeds, but I always come back to this one. You'll have two loaves; I let them cool completely and then freeze one so I'm not baking bread every week. It tastes just as fresh when defrosted, and the crust is still crunchy. (The crust will soften as it sits in a bag on the counter, however.)

100% Whole Wheat Bread

Combine and let stand until foamy, about 5 min:

2 1/2 cups very warm water

2 tbsp active dry yeast

1/4 cup honey

In a large mixing bowl, combine:

6 1/4 cups white whole wheat flour*

1/4 cup dry nonfat milk

2 1/2 tsp salt

2 1/2 tbsp vital wheat gluten**

Once the yeast mixture is nice and foamy, pour into the center of the dry ingredients. Add 1/4 cup canola oil. Stir and knead in a mixer or by hand until you have a soft, smooth, elastic dough. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to coat. Cover and let rise 1 hour, or until doubled in bulk.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease two 8" loaf pans. Punch dough down and divide in half. Form into loaves (gently), place in pans, cover, and let rise about 40 min, or until the tops are nice and puffy. Do not let it over rise or the center will sink while baking.

Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes. Leaving the pans IN the oven, turn heat down to 350 degrees and set the timer for 30 minutes longer. Remove from pans immediately and let cool on a wire rack. If you prefer a satiny crust, brush the loaves all over with melted butter.

Variation:

Seeded Seven Grain Bread

Substitute seven grain flour for the whole wheat (or use a mixture). Add 1/4-1/2 cup nuts and seeds, such as: poppy, sesame, sunflower, pine nuts, and pepitas (pumpkin seeds). My husband LOVES this bread!

*White whole wheat flour is the same in nutritional properties as the standard (red) whole wheat flour. They are just different strains of wheat. The white has a more mild flavor, and the red is a bit more full-flavored. If you choose to use the regular whole wheat flour, please use a good brand (Butte Creek Mill, Bob's Red Mill, King Arthur). I have not had much luck with the cheaper ones (Stone Burr and the other types found in the regular baking isle). When I use the regular whole wheat I also add 1 tbsp molasses to the wet ingredients for balance. The white whole wheat, however, is a great whole grain flour to start with; many lovers of white bread can hardly tell a difference!

**Everybody seems to be afraid of gluten these days, but I don't have any issues with it. Vital wheat gluten is the natural protein found in wheat, and adding it to flour increases elasticity and texture in the bread, also helping the whole grains to rise to a fuller degree. It ensures that you will not be creating a typical dense, crumbly loaf.