Whole Wheat Bread – Sally

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Sally, owner and author of Sallysbakingaddiction.com, writes her blog to teach newbies and help oldies with their baking. I usually modify her recipes for my own personal, selfish use. For more details and tips and tricks refer to Sally and not me.

This is a beautiful bread with chewy crust and soft tender interior. I did use 50:50 whole wheat and bread flours in the sponge.

Whole Wheat Bread – Sally

INGREDIENTS
Sponge
• 1 cup (240ml) water, warmed to about 110°F (43°C)
• ⅓ cup (80ml) whole milk, warmed to about 110°F (43°C)
• 2 ¼ teaspoons (7g) active dry or instant yeast
• 2 cups (260g) whole wheat flour
• Optional: 130g (1 c) whole wheat flour and 130g (1 c) bread flour
Dough
• 3 Tablespoons (63g) honey
• 3 Tablespoons (43g) RT unsalted butter,
• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice (or apple cider vinegar)
• 1 ⅓ cups (173g) whole wheat flour (plus more as needed
• 1 and 1/4 teaspoons salt
• optional oat topping: 1 beaten egg white + 1 Tablespoon whole oats

METHOD

  1. Prepare the sponge: In a large bowl or the bowl of your stand mixer, whisk the water, whole milk, and yeast together. Add the 2 cups (260g) flour and stir with a spatula or wooden spoon until a thick batter forms. Cover lightly and allow to double in size at room temperature, about 60–90 minutes. Sometimes this can take up to 2 hours.
  2. Add the remaining dough ingredients including the honey, butter, lemon juice, remaining flour, and the salt. With a dough hook attachment or using a spatula or wooden spoon (and some arm muscle!), beat on medium speed/mix until the dough comes together and pulls away from the sides of the bowl, about 3 minutes. If the dough seems too wet to a point where kneading (next step) would be impossible, beat in more flour 1 Tablespoon at a time until you have a workable dough. Dough should be soft and a little sticky, but still manageable to knead with lightly floured hands. It took 4 Tbl added a minute or so apart for the dough to clear the sides of the mixer bowl and knead properly.
  3. Knead the dough: Keep the dough in the mixer and beat for an additional 8–10 full minutes or knead by hand on a lightly floured surface for 8–10 full minutes. If the dough becomes too sticky during the kneading process, add 1 more Tablespoon of flour at a time to make a soft, slightly tacky dough. Do not add more flour than you need; you do not want a dry dough. After kneading, the dough should still feel a little soft. Poke it with your finger—if it slowly bounces back, your dough is ready to rise and/or do a “windowpane test” to see if your dough was adequately kneaded.
  4. 1st rise: Lightly grease a large bowl with oil or nonstick spray. Place the dough in the bowl, turning it to coat all sides in the oil. Cover the bowl and allow the dough to rise in a proofing oven or other warm environment for 1.5–2 hours or until about double in size.
  5. Grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan.
  6. Shape the dough: When the dough is ready, punch it down to release the air. Lightly flour a work surface, your hands, and a rolling pin. Roll the dough out into a large rectangle, about 8×15 inches. It does not have to be perfect—in fact, it will probably be rounded on the edges. That’s ok! Roll it into an 8-inch log and place in the prepared loaf pan, seam side down.
  7. 2nd rise: Cover shaped loaf. Allow to rise until it’s about 1 inch above the top of the loaf pan, about 45–60 minutes.
  8. Adjust oven rack to a lower position and preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). It’s best to bake the bread towards the bottom of the oven so the top doesn’t burn.
  9. Optional oat topping: If you want to add the optional oat topping, add it right before baking the bread. With a pastry brush, brush the risen loaf with egg white, then sprinkle the oats on top.
  10. Bake the bread: Bake for 36–40 minutes, or until golden brown on top. If you notice the top browning too quickly, loosely tent the pan with aluminum foil. (I usually add it around the 20-minute mark.) To test for doneness, if you gently tap on the loaf, it should sound hollow and the center of the loaf is 195–200°F (90–93°C). Remove from the oven and allow bread to cool for a few minutes in the pan on a cooling rack before removing the bread from the pan and slicing. Feel free to let it cool completely before slicing, too.
  11. Cover leftover bread tightly and store at room temperature for up to 1 week.

Notes

  1. Freezing Instructions: Prepare recipe through step 6. Place shaped loaf in a greased 9×5-inch loaf pan or disposable loaf pan, cover tightly, and freeze for up to 3 months. On the day you serve it, let the loaf thaw and rise for about 4–5 hours at room temperature. Bake as directed. You can also freeze the baked bread loaf. Allow the bread to cool completely, then freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator or at room temperature, then reheat as desired.
  2. Overnight Instructions: Prepare the recipe through step 6. Cover the shaped loaf tightly and refrigerate for up to about 15 hours. At least 3 hours before you need the bread the next day, remove from the refrigerator, keep covered, and allow to rise on the counter for about 1–2 hours before baking. Alternatively, you can let the dough have its 1st rise in the refrigerator overnight. Prepare the dough through step 3, then cover the dough tightly and place in the refrigerator for up to 12 hours. Remove from the refrigerator and allow the dough to fully rise for 2 more hours. Continue with step

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