Monday, May 30, 2011

100% Whole Wheat Bread

We were having a discussion on the MaryJanesFarm chat room about baking whole wheat bread. I thought I would share my recipe and some tips I have picked up over the years.





100% Whole Wheat Bread               **Click here to print recipe**

3/4 to 1 cup milk
1/4 cup orange juice
1 egg
2 tablespoons butter
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons honey
4 cups whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons bread machine/instant yeast OR 1 packet active dry yeast (If using active dry yeast, dissolve it in the warm milk before combining with the remaining ingredients.)
Bake in a preheated 375 degree oven for 30 to 40 minutes or until done.


I use my bread machine to mix, knead and do the first rise. The egg helps the bread rise nicely since it is 100% whole wheat. The orange juice helps to cut the bitterness that sometimes is associated with 100% whole wheat bread. I use King Arthur flour for EVERYTHING I bake, it is the only kind of flour I buy. I use the all-purpose unbleached, the bread flour and the whole wheat flour. I truly believe it makes a difference in the finished product.

After the bread machine is done doing it's thing, remove the dough, shape it into a loaf, put it in a greased pan, cover and let rise in a warm place until nearly doubled. Another thing I have found is that if your dough is more on the soft/sticky side you get a better rise. If you think it is too sticky to work with, spray your work surface with a little cooking spray so that the dough won't stick. If you just keep adding more flour, your bread will be heavy and dry.



  When the bread is half way done, cover it loosely with aluminum foil to prevent overbrowning. Uh, yeah, I do use the same piece of foil over and over and over....


 When done, remove the bread from the pan immediately so that the crust doesn't get soggy and let cool completely (if you can stand it!) on a wire rack before slicing.


This is great for sandwiches or toast or with a big slather of butter!! YUM!!


6 comments:

  1. the orange juice has me facinated! i'm going to have to try this recipie!

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  2. I love this recipe and will be trying it. I use my bread machine the same way and then bake my bread in the oven. Everyone thought it was weird that I did this, it's good to know others do it too.

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  3. JenW!
    I don't bake in the bread machine basically because I don't like the shape of the loaf and the hole in the bottom! LOL!! I also make lots of rolls and so just use the dough cycle. Let me know how your bread turns out!

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  4. I love whole wheat bread and I thought it's about time I check out your recipe. You haven't steered my wrong yet. I like the fact that I can make this with honey. Honey is my hubby's favorite sweetener. I mix, knead, & 1st rise my breads in the machine too, it's so helpful. Thank you Candy for another helpful recipe.

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  5. No bread machine any more, but I've bookmarked this for future use anyway.
    Not sure if they have King Arthur flour in Louisiana, but I will look for it.
    Thanks for sharing this with us!

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  6. I am going to try this. I haven't use orange juice before. Should be interesting. smile.

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