Back by popular demand… another bread post! Isn’t there something so satisfying about being able to produce a few loaves of fresh bread from your own kitchen with minimal effort? Why so many of us perceive bread making as a task we’d only fail at, I’m not sure. I blame the 1930s American “Wonder Bread” craze. But  it turns out, “the best thing since sliced bread” is actually returning to breadmaking in small batches at home to the delight of your tastebuds, your health, and anyone who gets their hands on it.

It was such fun to hear from some of you (and to see your beautiful pictures!) about your breadmaking success after trying the Light Whole Wheat recipe. But my dear and fearless friend, Beckie, mentioned that her family was so happy with the Light Whole Wheat, that she’d love to try a 100% Whole Wheat recipe. Having only made this several years ago, I went straight to work mixing it up to give it one more “test” run and a proper photo shoot.

Two and a half days later and we are down to just a few slices left, that’s how much my family enjoyed it. So much so, I found that my children took a butter knife to the loaf and helped themselves early one morning when I was still asnooze in my bed, slathering on Nutella and breakfasting kid-style in the playroom with their Legos. The immediate horror at seeing the loaf lopped off with a butter knife (my short people are not yet allowed to wield a real knife) was quickly overcome with the pleasure at realizing how much my girls love this bread. Try it! Let’s hear what you think.

Whole Wheat Bread

recipe slightly adapted from Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day by Jeff Hertzberg and Zoë François

Note: Now that you are getting the hang of this type of bread (no kneading, high moisture content), here’s a fun strategy… the cool thing about this bread dough is that after you mix it and let it rise for  2-3 hours, you can then keep the dough in a container (NOT air tight– a bowl with plastic wrap draped loosely on top to allow some air in) in your refrigerator for a few days (with this recipe, 5 days). Every time you want a fresh loaf, pull out your bread dough, cut off a piece, shape it, let it rest at room temp (the second rise), and bake it. So if you’d rather not make several loaves at once, save the remaining dough for another baking day. Makes about 3, 1.5 pound loaves. Feel free to double or halve the recipe.

Edit on Feb. 22nd, 2016: a year of baking this bread and I have decided that if you are at high altitude, you need to cut the yeast to use just 1 Tbsp. total. Also, dusting and slashing after you have formed your loaves but before the second rise has better results at high altitude as well.

Ingredients:

• 1.5 cups lukewarm water
• 1.5 cups lukewarm milk
• 1.5 Tbsp granulated yeast
• 1 Tbsp plus 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup honey
• 5 Tbsp regular olive oil
• 6 and 2/3 cups whole wheat flour (do not use pastry flour or “graham” flour)
• flaxmeal or whole wheat flour for scattering on top

Preparation:

1. Mix the yeast, salt, honey, and oil with the milk and water in a 5-quart bowl, or a lidded (not airtight) food container.
2. Mix in the remaining dry ingredients without kneading, using your standing mixer with the dough hook attachment (or get a work out by doing it all by hand with a large bowl with a spoon). You can even try doing it all in a 14 cup capacity food processor. I personally prefer the stand mixer method. So easy.
3. Cover (not airtight), and allow to rest at room temperature until the dough rises and collapses (or flattens on top); approximately 2-3 hours. As I mentioned in the last bread recipe, I preheat my oven to 200ºF, turn it off, and then when the dough is mixed, I let it rise, covered with a flour sack cloth or any clean dish cloth, inside the oven with the door cracked open several inches. This prevents drafts and saves the dough from my cold granite countertops which can make bread rising painfully slow.
4. The dough can be used immediately after the initial rise or refrigerate after the rise in a lidded but not airtight container and use over the next five days.
5. The day you want to bake, lightly oil or butter a 9 x 4 x 3 nonstick loaf pan. Using WET hands, scoop out a 1.5 pound (cantaloupe-size) handful of dough. This dough is pretty sticky and often it’s easiest to handle it with wet hands (I keep a bowl of water next to me to dip my hands into to keep them very wet as I shape the dough). Keeping your hands wet, quickly shape it into a ball by stretching the surface of the dough around to the bottom on all four sides, rotating the ball a quarter-turn as you go. I made a 2 pound loaf and then two smaller loaves in “mini” loaf pans (an old tradition my mom started…kids love mini loaves!).
6. Drop the loaf into the prepared pan. You want to fill the pan just slightly more than half full. You can slash it with the tip of the serrated knife now for a less dramatic slash or wait until before baking.
7. Allow the dough to rest uncovered for about an hour (it will double in size) or so. I let mine rest in the the oven (not preheated this time) with the door closed to prevent drafts. Flour or generously scatter with flax meal the top of the loaf and then slash.
8. Preheat oven to 350ºF.
9. Place the loaf or loaves on the middle rack near the center of the oven. Pour 1-2 cups of hot water into a pyrex placed on the lowest rack. Bake for 50 or so minutes, until deeply browned and firm.
10. Allow to cool completely (if you are that tough) before slicing.