This is the next bread in the BBA challenge from Pinch My Salt.If you have ever wanted to make a nice, light, sandwich bread that your family will love, this bread is a great place to start.
Here, whole wheat makes for about a third of the total flour. I have a recipe that uses half white wheat and half all purpose flour that I simply call my Half and Half Honey Wheat Bread.
Making a loaf of partial wheat flour is much easier to make than one with 100% whole wheat flour, and definitely easier for most people to digest if they are not used to incorporating wheat into their diet.
I doubled PR's (Peter Reinhart) recipe. I like the fact that this recipe calls for powdered milk, which contributes to a softer texture in the crumb.I added 1 T. of vital wheat gluten, which is not in PR's recipe.
It also calls for shortening or butter. I usually use canola oil in mine...it's just easier to mix in with the wet ingredients.
Honey is part of PR's recipe, which I believe goes well with wheat breads. Of course, you can use sugar, brown sugar, molasses, or maple syrup....
Wheat bread does take a longer mixing time than your standard white bread to develop the gluten. You may need to knead it up to 10 minutes to develop a window pane.
This is where you gently stretch the dough, until it is transparent enough to see through it. If it breaks or has holes in it, you need to mix it longer.
Picture from The Kitchen.com
This is my bread 30 minutes from shaping.It is ready to go, even though the recipe states approximately 90 minutes...or until the dough crests above the pan.
Remember to have your 350 degree oven ready at this point. If you don't, you risk having your bread over proof and collapse in the oven...
It takes my oven about 10 minutes to reach 350 degrees.
PR suggests waiting 1-2 hours to cool.In my household, it is tradition to cut off a big, fat slice and slather it with butter.
And honey.
Here's a glam crumb shot.
Tender and soft.
Noticed the 'swirls'?
That's because I roll out my bread.
My son asked for a grilled cheese sandwich...
It just doesn't get better than this~
