How to Make the Perfect Loaf of Whole Wheat Bread (and a GIVEAWAY!)

I am so very happy today to share with you my tips and recipe for making what I consider to be the very best whole wheat bread one can make. I’ve tried probably 30 different whole wheat recipes during my adult life, and I was always more likely to have been found bricking a house or bludgeoning an enemy with the results than actually willingly consuming them. This recipe, though, I crave and make often. It is always devoured quickly, and I frequently get requests for the recipe. The texture is so soft and moist, you’ll never believe you’re eating whole wheat!

 

 

Here are the ingredients:

red wheat berries, ground into flour
white wheat berries, ground into flour
2 1/4 C warm water
1 1/2 T yeast
1/3 C gluten flour/vital wheat gluten*
1 C instant oats
1/3 C oil
1/3 C honey or 1/2 C sugar
2 tsp. salt
1 1/4 T lemon juice or 2 T dough enhancer*

 

 

Start by grinding small batches of both red and white wheat.

I don’t measure out the wheat berries. I just pour some in and let ‘em rip. Whatever I don’t use for the current batch will keep for a couple of weeks ‘til the next batch. However, you don’t want to grind large batches of wheat all at once unless you’re going to use it soon. Freshly milled whole wheat flour does not keep for long periods of time, so either grind in small batches, use up all of what you ground within a few weeks, or put the flour in the freezer, which should extend its shelf life (my problem with freezing it is that it effectively extends the shelf life indefinitely because I end up forgetting it’s in there. By the time I remember it’s there, it tastes like the freezer.)

For this batch, I ground the wheat about 3/4 of the way to the finest setting. I usually grind it coarser for my family, but I was giving a loaf away this time and wasn’t sure about the preferences of the recipient family. Experiment until you find what your family likes.

Measure 6 cups of this ground flour in any combination of red:white. If you’re new to whole wheat, you may want to go heavier on the white than the red (maybe 4 cups white to 2 cups red?); I personally usually use more red than white (4 cups red to 2 cups white) just because we have more red wheat in our storage than we have white. Any combination will work.

Place the following ingredients into your KitchenAid (with dough hook attachment) or bread mixer:

• 2 1/4 C warm water (very warm to the touch, or use your thermometer to about 115-120 degrees as shown below)
  
• 1 1/2 T dry yeast (or 3 packets less 1 tsp.)
  
• 3 1/2 C (mixed, freshly ground) wheat flour
  
• 1/3 C gluten flour (aka “vital wheat gluten”. This is a very important ingredient to lighten the texture of your loaf. Don’t skip it!)*
  
• 1 C instant oats (I think this is what gives this bread it’s moisture – a very important ingredient here!)

 

Mix all ingredients on low speed for 1 minute. Here’s what it will look like (very moist & sticky):

…then cover it with a warm, damp kitchen towel and let it rest for 10 minutes.

Set your oven to 170 degrees. Once it’s preheated to this temperature, turn it off but leave the door closed to trap that soft heat in. This might be a good time to wipe your oven buttons off. If you’re me. Sorry about that!

After that sticky dough has rested for 10 minutes, add the following ingredients to the mixer:

• 1/3 C oil (olive oil, canola oil, vegetable oil…any non-solid oil)
  
• 1/3 C honey (best – and watch how that honey slips right out of the measuring cup after you measured the oil with it!) or 1/2 C sugar
  
• 2 tsp. salt
  
• 1 1/4 T bottled lemon juice or (my preference) 2T dough enhancer*

Mix these ingredients on low speed and add the additional 2 1/2 C (mixed, ground) wheat flour a single cup at a time until all the flour has been added.

Allow this to mix another 7-10 minutes. While it’s mixing, grease or spray 2 loaf pans.

After 7-10 minutes, your dough should look like this:

…you want it to be “climbing” the dough hook and when you touch it, it should be tacky and elastic but should not stick to your fingers.

Divide the dough into two loaves (I just pinch it in half)…

…shape it into two loaves (I form an elongated mass, then tuck the ends under for a pretty, smooth top)…

…and place it in your oiled/sprayed loaf pans.

Remember that preheated oven? Put the loaves in there, close the oven door, and leave them alone for 15 minutes. This is what it’ll look like afterward (already rising!):

Now, leave the bread in the oven and turn the oven back on, but this time all the way up to 350 degrees. Cook it for 30 minutes more, then remove it from the oven and butter the tops of the loaves.

The recipe says to take it out of the loaf pan and cover it with a dishcloth to cool. It never works out quite that way in my house. Half the first loaf is usually gone before it’s even quit steaming.

*To my knowledge, the gluten flour is of primary importance in getting a lighter, less dense, more palatable loaf of whole wheat bread. The dough enhancer plays a part in texture, too, as well as crusting but also acts to preserve the loaf. I got both my gluten flour and my dough enhancer at our higher-end local grocery store. They should not be difficult to find, and are so worth having on hand!

The recipe states the following revision": “you may add flax seeds or sunflower seeds by decreasing the flour slightly.”

Bah. If I make a revision, it’s usually this one: cinnamon rolls!

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I wanted to take just a minute to talk about the Red Star Yeast that I use to make this bread. I really like the Red Star brand of products. I know there are some of you out there who are intimidated by yeast. I used to be, also. I remember as a teenager starting a batch of dough for cinnamon rolls early one winter morning and finally having them frosted sometime after dinner. Making bread, I used to think, was an exhausting, all-day affair best left to great-grandmothers and the Pioneers. Especially since it used to only really turn out predictably about 75% of the time.

…Until I discovered Red Star. Simply put, it is reliable and consistent in my kitchen. I trust it to work precisely as I expect it will. Every time.

There’s no need anymore to be intimidated by yeast. It is so worth finding a brand that works for you and making yeast a commonplace ingredient in your kitchen. Freshly baked bread and rolls have to be one of the most impressive (yet simple) ways to cook from scratch for your family. There’s something so old-fashioned, so back-to-basics about making bread. But our techniques don’t have to be old-fashioned. That’s why I love Red Star Quick Rise Yeast (and my KitchenAid with the dough hook – can’t leave that one out!). As long as I have these two staples, I can bake bread or a batch of rolls in a matter of just over an hour. That’s just in time for breakfast, or while my kids are napping. So much better than the day-long cinnamon roll event. And just as delicious!

The folks at Red Star Yeast have generously offered to provide three of you with a selection of their premium baking tools, including a 1.5 lb commercial loaf pan, an instant read pocket thermometer, and an oven mitt or a silicone spatula, along with several packets of yeast for your holiday baking!

Here’s how to enter:

1. Head over to the Red Star Yeast website, have a look at their recipes, and come back here to tell me which one you’re most anxious to try.

2. You may have a second entry if you do any of the following:

• make one of the recipes on the Red Star Yeast website, and email me a picture or link me to a picture on your blog of the recipe.
  
• “like” Red Star Yeast on Facebook (leave me a comment telling me you did).
  
• “like” Ucreate Foods on Facebook (leave me a separate comment telling me you did; if you’re already a “liker” (THANKS!) tell me so in that separate comment).

Good luck – you have until next Thursday night to enter; I’ll be announcing the winners on Friday morning!

Sorry; this giveaway is now closed!