100% Whole Wheat Bread
After the overwhelming response on my white loaf bread recipe, I have been requested to share the recipe of whole wheat bread. Unlike the store bought whole wheat bread, these whole wheat bread slices do not contain any preservativesoor additives. And the best part? It is how easy it is to bake a batch of whole wheat/meal bread.
Now you may wonder, won'tt the bread go stale? No! When I bake one loaf (while another gets baked in the oven, which will be for immediate use and will be used up in 3-4 days) and once that cools down, I cut it into slices and put it into a ziplock bag and store them in the freezer. When you need a fresh loaf of whole wheat bread, just allow to thaw overnight on the countertop or for a couple of hours before consuming and if it’s for toast, you don’t even need to thaw, you may use it right away!
In my Whole wheat bread, I use whole meal (unlike whole wheat flour, Whole Meal is the entire kernel of the wheat grain that is slightly ground) , that makes it even more delightful with the little specks of the grains on the bread and makes the bread even more wholesome.
Also do not expect the results of whole wheat bread to be the same as white loaf bread. The process of kneading the flour and water mixed dough helps to form gluten, which is very essential for a soft and risen bread.
Do not be tempted to add too much flour is it gets sticky, (maybe a couple of tablespoons of flour can be added depending on the humidity of the location you are at), just keep kneading for a good 10 minutes (can be done on a stand mixer on a medium-low setting), after which when you wet your fingers and try to stretch the dough, it should result in a stretchy, elastic and translucent dough, this method is called the window pane test, if it stretches without tearing, that means the gluten in the dough has been activated well.
Why choose store bought whole wheat bread when you can make healthy and 100% whole wheat bread at home easily and the aroma that fills the air is enough motivation to bake another loaf 😃😍
Ingredients:
- 1 cup Lukewarm Water
- 2 tbsp Honey
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1 1/2 tsp Instant Yeast
- 3 tbsp Olive oil/ Butter, softened
- 2 cups of Whole Wheat Flour (Atta)
- 1/2 cup Whole Meal / 1/2 cup White flour*
Instructions:
- Into a bowl, add in your lukewarm water, honey, salt and instant yeast**and Olive oil, mix everything.
- Next add in your whole wheat flour and Whole meal, by gently mixing with your hands to form a soft dough. Now knead the dough using your hands or a stand mixer for around 10 minutes ( this will help develop gluten for a soft and fluffy bread). You can do this test by dipping your fingers in water and gently pull and stretch the dough and check if the gluten has developed well, if it has, you can see the dough would not tear and the dough becomes translucent to the stretch test.
- Grease a clean bowl and allow the dough to sit in the bowl covered for 60-90 minutes or until it has doubled in size.
- Now slowly pound the dough to release all the accumulated gas and flatten with your hands into a rectangle and check if the width of the flattened dough fits your bread pan or else flatten accordingly.
- Next, roll the dough into a log and place it into a greased loaf pan and cover with a greased loaf pan lid or a greased cling film, allow to proof for another 45 minutes.
- Preheat your oven at 180 deg C and bake your bread for 30-35 minutes.
- Allow to cool completely, for at least one hour and slice the whole wheat bread loaf into slices and store them in a ziplock bag or a bread container wrapped in kitchen cloth.
- The bread stays fresher in the ziplock bag for 3-4 days.
Notes:
Do try this recipe and don't forget to share your experience/feedback with me here in the comments or feel free to send me a mail. Also, do tag me at #taystedit if you try out my recipes on Facebook, Instagram etc so that I can see when you make it. ♡♡♡♡
