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You are here: Home / Healthy Eats / Whole Wheat Bread – The Bread of Life

Whole Wheat Bread – The Bread of Life

August 16, 2016 By Tracy

Whole Wheat Loaf Bread in a Basket
"Give us this day our daily bread". There must be a reason we are to have bread in our diet everyday; bread made from freshly milled 100% whole wheat. Live healthy!

Mmmm, smell that fresh baked
Whole Wheat Bread!

You know, bread, especially sandwich loaf bread, is such an integral part of our lives.  Is it really a grilled cheese without it?  What about a delicious BLT?  Say it isn't so!  Peanut butter and jelly just isn't the same on any other bread.  In my opinion sandwich loaf bread is simply a must; so, I say make it homemade and with freshly milled whole wheat, real 100% whole wheat.  I mean, who truly wants bread which is made from bleached out, nutrition-less sifted white flour, containing lots of added chemicals?  FYI, even the "whole wheat" from the store isn't really whole wheat.  It's basically white flour with a little bran added back.  Some even use caramel coloring to make it brown.  Really?!

 

You can make your own REAL 100% whole wheat bread that is 
so fresh - full of flavor - packed with life-giving nutrients 

 

You can make it in the comfort of your own kitchen by using freshly milled whole grains.  Bread made with no chemicals, no preservatives, no freaky ingredients made from hog hair and what-not, no insane amounts of gluten, just a handful of natural ingredients that you control.  How awesome is that?  ?

 

"So, how do you get freshly milled whole wheat," you ask?  By milling the grain yourself in your own kitchen with your own grain mill.  Visit these pages to learn more about milling fresh grains:  Getting Started - Milling and  Real Bread

 

The following recipe is made using fresh milled 100% whole wheat and other super nutritious ingredients.  Fear not, if you do not mill yet, that's OK, homemade is still better than store-bought any day; simply replace the flour measure with unbleached white flour or bread flour OR 1/2 bread flour and 1/2 whole wheat flour.

 

This super easy recipe, by the way, is so universal you can use it for dinner rolls, hoagie rolls, cinnamon rolls, pizza rolls, and bread sticks just to name a few.

 

Note:
If you are new to loaf yeast bread making, awesome!  Because making yeast bread is part science and part art; I feel that additional explanation is helpful.  I recommend reading through the recipe instructions first and these Article pages:
Bread Making Tips and Ingredients.

 

OK, let's get to it:

Ingredients:

Original Recipe:  4-6 Loaves 
(see note at right)

6  cups  Warm Water (110-115 degrees)
2/3  cup  Extra Virgin Olive Oil or Coconut Oil
2/3  cup  Sucanat or Honey
2  Tablespoons  Real Salt Sea Salt
3  Tablespoons  Lecithin (optional)
2  Tablespoons  Gluten  (optional)
1  cup  freshly ground Flax Seed (optional)
2  Tablespoons  Instant Yeast
14-18  cups  freshly milled Whole Wheat Flour, divided

 

 

3 Loaf - Half the original recipe:

3 cups Warm Water
1/3 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil or Coconut Oil
1/3 cup Sucanat or Honey
1 Tablespoon Real Salt Sea Salt
2 Tablespoons Lecithin (optional)
1 Tablespoon Gluten (optional)
1/2 cup freshly ground Flax Seed (optional)
1 Tablespoon Instant Yeast
7-9 cups freshly milled Whole Wheat Flour, divided

 

Recipe adapted from:  The Grain Pantry

 

*See  Tracy O.'s Tips   below for helpful tips.

 

 

Note - Original recipe makes:

6 - 1 lb. loaves (8" x 4" pan) or
4 - 1 lb. 12 oz. loaves (9" x 5" pan)

Download Recipe
Click HERE to Get Started Milling

*If you do not mill your own flour yet, simply replace the needed flour with unbleached all-purpose or bread flour. See Getting Started-Milling to learn about milling your own flours and corn meals.

 

 

For stand type mixers: i.e. KitchenAid, MixMaster, etc.

2 Loaf - Third the original recipe:

2  cups  Warm Water
1/4  cup  Extra Virgin Olive Oil or Coconut Oil
1/4  cup  Sucanat or Honey
2 1/2  teaspoons  Real Salt Sea Salt
1  Tablespoon  Lecithin (optional)
2  teaspoons  Gluten (optional)
1/4  cup  freshly ground Flax Seed (optional)
2 1/2  teaspoons  Instant Yeast
4 1/2 - 6  cups  freshly milled Whole Wheat Flour, divided

Instructions


Mill your flour

Start by Milling your whole wheat grains (berries) into flour.

 

Tracy O.'s Tips

  • One cup of grain will produce about 1-1/2 cups flour; so, simply divide the total cups of flour needed by 1.5 to get the number of cups of grain you will need to mill. (These amounts are approximates.) Example: 9 cups flour needed - divided by 1.5 = 6 cups grain to be milled.
  • For added protein and nutrition you can add dried beans 
    Hard White Wheat & Baby Lima Beans in Grain Mill
    Hard White Wheat Berries & Dried Baby Lima Beans

     in with your grain when milling.  I like to use navy or baby Lima beans. Simply add about 1 to 2 tablespoons of dried beans per every cup of grain. Have no fear, once you bake the bread you won't taste the beans.

  • If you do not mill your own flour yet, simply replace the needed flour with unbleached all-purpose or bread flour.  See Getting Started Milling to learn about milling your own flours and corn meals.
  • If using a standard stand mixer (like a KitchenAid) use the 2-Loaf recipe.

 

NutriMill Classic Grain Mill & Mini Seed Mill
NutriMill Classic Grain Mill & Mini Seed Mill
Hard White Wheat Grains in Grain Mill Hopper
Hard White Wheat Berries in Grain Mill Hopper
Fresh Milled Whole Wheat Flour in Mill Canister
Freshly Milled Whole Wheat Flour in Grain Mill Canister

 

Look at that - whole grain in - freshly milled wholesome flour out. 

Doesn't get any fresher or easier than that!

Order Your Grain Mill TODAY!!!

 

Flax Seed

Now would be a good time to grind up your flax seed in your Mini Mill, blender or coffee grinder.  To benefit from all the nutrients of the flax seed you should grind it fresh every time.

 

NutriMill Mini Seed Mill
NutriMill Mini Seed Mill
Whole Brown Flax Seed in NutriMill Mini Seed Mill
Whole Brown Flax Seed in NutriMill Mini Seed Mill
Freshly Ground Brown Flax Seed in NutriMill Mini Seed Mill
Freshly Ground Brown Flax Seed

 

 

Measure your ingredients

 

Healthy Home Principles Tracy O.'s Tips  

 

 

  • Gather and measure out all your ingredients before you begin; this will help alleviate forgetting something (Which I have done, like the salt.  That was some boring bread!)
  • This recipe uses instant yeast so we don't have to do two rises.  Saves lots of time.  See Ingredients page for more details about yeast types.

 

In your large mixer bowl (I use the Bosch Universal Plus Mixer), with the dough hook in place, add:

  • Water
  • Oil
  • Sucanat
  • Salt
  • Lecithin
  • Gluten
  • Flax Seed meal
  • Half the flour
  • Instant Yeast (on top of the flour)

 

Notice there are only 9 ingredients, three of which are optional.  The point is you don't need all those crazy ingredients in your bread.

 

Turn to speed 1 or 2 on the Bosch (medium speed for other stand mixers) and mix until smooth, about a minute.  Cover bowl and allow mixture to rest for about 10 minutes.  Because we are using instant yeast, this resting gives the yeast a few minutes to "activate".  

Bosch Universal Plus Mixer
Bosch Universal Plus Mixer
Add flour to mixer bowl
Adding Measured ingredients to mixer bowl
Blended bread dough mixture
Blend ingredients

 

Order Your Bosch Universal Plus Mixer TODAY!!!

 

 

Now, start adding the remaining flour; 1/2 cup at a time, until the dough cleans the sides of the bowl, then STOP adding flour.

 

Start your timer and knead until gluten is fully developed, about 6-8 minutes.  (If kneading by hand may take 8-10 minutes.)

 

Healthy Home Principles Tracy O.'s Tips  Even if the dough pools to the bottom of the bowl, do not add more flour.  Dough should be soft and slightly sticky.  Adding too much flour will make heavy dough and will produce what I call "brick bread"; a dense heavy loaf.

 

Bread Dough Cleans Sides of Bowl
Kneaded Whole Wheat Bread Dough

 

Form the Dough

 

With olive oil on your hands and your work surface, removed dough from bowl and place on a nicely greased surface.  

 

Olive Oil on Work Surface
Pouring oil on work surface

 

Healthy Home Principles Tracy O.'s Tips  

 

 

  • Try not to use flour on your work surface.  Using flour adds more dry back to your dough and can make your dough heavy and dense; again creating "brick-bread" (unless your dough is super-duper sticky).
  • Use a dough cutter or sharp knife to cut dough.  Bread dough does not like to be torn.  (Forgive, my pic is a little blurry.)  Cutting Dough
  • When baking multiple loaves at the same time, it is best if all loaves weigh the same for even baking.  See Bread Making Tips for more info.

 

 

Hand knead dough a few turns to form a smooth ball.  

 

Hand Kneading Bread Dough

 

then divide & weigh dough into portions for what size loaf pan you have.  (It doesn't have to be exact, but try to get it close.):

  • Pan  8" x 4" = 1 lb dough
  • Pan 8-1/2" x 4-1/2" = 1 lb 10 oz dough
  • Pan 9" x 5" = 1 lb 12 oz dough

 

Weighing Dough in Bread Pan
Weighing bread dough

 

Healthy Home Principles Tracy O.'s Tips  I love these bread pans!!!  They are USA Aluminzed Steel with a silicone coating.  You never have to grease them.  My favorite size is 9" x 5"; more like a standard loaf of bread.

Press dough into a simple thick rectangle the width of your pan; then roll dough up as you would a sleeping bag; pulling back gently with each curl.  

 

Pinch the seam, tuck under the ends and transfer your beautiful dough to a well greased pan.  Butter, olive or coconut oil will do.  (If using a USA pan - no need to grease.  Love that!)  

 

Rolling up bread dough
Roll up bread dough
Pinch bread dough seam
Pinch dough seam
Place formed bread dough in bread pan
Place formed bread dough in bread pan

 

Rising the dough

Cover with plastic wrap or a light damp towel.  Allow to rise in a warm, draft-free location:  on the counter or in the oven with just the light on.  Rise dough till double, about 30 minutes to an hour or more.

 

Healthy Home Principles Tracy O.'s Tips  For best rising results, place bread pan on some type of rack if rising on the counter.  Because most counter surfaces are naturally cool, the top of the dough may rise leaving the lower part dense.  So, the key is to have circulation all the way around your pan.  

 

Cover bread loaves with plastic wrap
Plastic wrap covered loaf bread dough
Rising bread loaves
Rising bread loaves

Bake

Remove plastic wrap/towel and place in preheated 350 degree oven.  Bake 30-40 minutes; until internal temperature is at least 190 degrees.  

 

Remove pans from oven and place on cooling rack.  Cool for about 5 minutes.  (Longer will cause bread to become soggy.)  

 

Baked bread loaves
Baked bread loaves

 

Remove loaf from pan and continue cooling on cooling rack.

 

Freshly baked whole wheat bread loaves
Freshly baked whole wheat bread loaves

 

Healthy Home Principles Tracy O.'s Tips  For a softer crust, as soon as you remove pans from oven cover with a light damp towel.  Continue to cover after you have removed loaves from their pans.   

 

Cover baked bread loaves with damp towel
Covered freshly baked bread loaves with a damp towel for softer crust

 

Delicious, 100% Whole Wheat Bread
that is soooo good for you & tasting!

 

Whole Wheat Bread Loaf on cutting board

 

Cool completely before storing.

 

To Store:  Cool completely, then place in a bread bag or wrap in plastic wrap.  I have found that using a zip-top plastic bags seems to cause my bread to mold within a couple of days.   Fresh bread may be stored in the refrigerator, but that can tend to cause the bread to go stale.

To Freeze:  Securely wrapped loaves may be stored in the freezer.  To thaw:  Leave wrapped and place on a cooling rack.

Other Dough Uses:  Dinner Rolls, Hoagie Rolls, Cinnamon Rolls, Pizza Rolls and much more.

For More Info:  Bread Making Tips & Ingredients pages 

 

 

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Filed Under: Healthy Eats Tagged With: bread, Fresh Milled Flour, whole grains, whole wheat

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Hi, I'm Tracy O. My goal through Healthy Home Principles is to share what I've learned and hopefully inspire you to come along with me on this journey to make our homes healthier.
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