When we got married, Ben was keen on putting a bread machine on our registry. However, once it arrived, I was the excited one, because I realized I could make my own 100% whole wheat bread instead of what we were buying at the store. I use this recipe to make thin slices for eggs Benedict, our breakfast most mornings. The loaf smells delicious during the last hour in the bread machine, and I love to set it to finish baking in the morning so that the smell greets us as we stumble out of bed. I recommend slicing it and freezing it day of, or 1-2 days after baking it. Without the preservatives of store-bought bread, it molds after several days.

Yield: One 1.5 pound loaf

Ingredients

  • 1 1/4 cups lukewarm water
  • 3 tablespoons olive or vegetable oil
  • 1/4 cup honey or maple syrup
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
  • 3 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
  • 1/4 cup sesame seeds or other seeds, optional
  • 1 packet instant yeast

Instructions

To make bread in a bread machine:

  1. Put all of the ingredients into the bread pan in the order listed. Program for basic white bread (or for whole wheat bread, if your machine has a whole wheat setting), for a 1.5 Ib loaf, with a light crust.
  2. Remove the bread from the machine when it’s done. Either turn it out of the pan onto a rack to cool; or turn it out of the pan, place it back in the machine (atop the structure that holds the pan), crack the lid open about 1″, and let it cool right in the cooling-down machine. This helps prevent the crust from wrinkling as the loaf cools.

To make bread by hand:

  1. Mix all of the ingredients in a large bowl, or in the bowl of a stand mixer.
  2. Knead the dough until it’s smooth and just slightly tacky, about 8 to 10 minutes. Place the dough in a greased bowl, cover, and let it rise until doubled in volume, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
  3. Gently deflate the dough and shape it to fit a greased 8 1/2″ x 4 1/2″ loaf pan. Let it rise, covered, until doubled, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
  4. Bake the bread in a preheated 375°F oven for 35 minutes, or until a digital thermometer inserted in the center of the loaf reads 190°F. Remove the bread from the oven, remove it from the pan, and cool it on a rack.

Notes

This bread doesn’t rise much at all with stone ground whole wheat as opposed to other varieties–in my experience, you’ll end up with a tasty loaf that has a bit of a hole on top. You may be able to get a good rise using stone ground whole wheat if you add 1 Tablespoon vital wheat gluten.

Adapted from King Arthur Flour

Leave a comment