Whole-Wheat Bread – a delicious recipe with flour, water, flour, yeast, water, flour. Easy to follow and perfect for any occasion.
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The day before making the bread, make the soaker and the poolish.
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For the soaker, mix together the coarse whole-wheat flour and the water in a bowl, cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and leave it at room temperature until the next day.
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For the poolish, mix together the whole-wheat flour and yeast, then stir in the water to make a thick paste.
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Stir only until all the flour is hydrated, then cover the bowl with plastic wrap and allow to ferment at room temperature for 2 to 4 hours, or until it just begins to bubble.
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Then put it in the refrigerator overnight.
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The next day remove the poolish from the refrigerator 1 hour before making the dough to take off the chill.
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In a mixing bowl (or in the bowl of an electric mixer), stir together the whole-wheat flour, salt, and yeast.
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Then add the poolish and the soaker, as well as the honey, oil, and egg.
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Stir with a large metal spoon (or mix on low speed for about 1 minute with the paddle attachment) until the dough forms a ball, adding more water or flour if needed.
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Sprinkle whole-wheat flour on the counter, transfer the dough to the counter, and begin kneading (or mix on medium speed with the dough hook).
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Add flour if necessary and knead until the dough forms a firm, supple dough.
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This will take 10 to 15 minutes by hand, slightly less by machine.
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The dough should be tacky but not sticky.
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It should pass the windowpane test (page 58) and register 77 to 81F.
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Lightly oil a large bowl and transfer the dough to the bowl, rolling it around to coat it with oil.
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Cover the bowl with plastic wrap.
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Ferment at room temperature for approximately 2 hours, or until the dough doubles in size.
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Divide the dough into 2 equal pieces (they should weigh about 18 ounces each).
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Shape them into sandwich loaves, as shown on page 81.
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Lightly oil two 8 1/2 by 4 1/2-inch loaf pans and place the loaves in the pans.
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Mist the tops with spray oil and loosely cover with plastic wrap.
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Proof at room temperature for about 90 minutes, or until the dough nearly doubles in size and is cresting above the lip of the pans.
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Preheat the oven to 350F with the oven rack in the middle of the oven.
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Just before baking, you may choose to garnish the loaves by misting the tops with water and sprinkling on sesame seeds.
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Bake the loaves for about 30 minutes, then rotate them 180 degrees, if necessary, for even baking.
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Continue baking for 15 to 30 minutes longer.
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The finished bread should register between 185 and 190F at the center and should sound hollow when thumped on the bottom.
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The loaves should be golden brown all around and firm on the sides as well as on the top and bottom.
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If they are soft and squishy on the sides, return them to the pans and continue baking until done.
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When the loaves have finished baking, remove them immediately from the pans and cool on a rack for at least 1 hour, preferably 2 hours, before slicing or serving.
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Enriched, standard dough; indirect method; commercial yeast
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Day 1: 2 to 4 hours soaker and poolish
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Day 2: 1 hour to de-chill poolish; 15 minutes mixing; 3 1/2 hours fermentation, shaping, and proofing; 45 to 60 minutes baking
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Coarse flour weighs slightly less per cup than regular grind flour because it doesnt pack as tightly and contains more air.
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This explains why the coarse flour is only 4.25 ounces, while the regular whole-wheat flour used in the rest of the formula weighs 4.5 ounces per cup.
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The bread will develop a more open crumb if the flour is high in protein.
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The strongest flour comes from hard spring wheat, which can often be found at natural food markets that offer a variety of flours (see also Resources, page 291).
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You may also substitute regular whole-wheat flour from the supermarket.
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The use of oil and/or egg is offered as an option to tenderize the bread.
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If you use either of them, you will need to add additional flour during the final mixing.
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Let the dough determine how much flour to add, as you knead it to a firm, slightly tacky consistency.
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Another way to tenderize the dough is to use milk or buttermilk instead of water when making the poolish.
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Whole-Wheat Bread %
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(Soaker)
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Whole-wheat flour: 100%
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Water: 141%
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Total: 241%
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WHOLE-WHEAT POOLISH
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Whole-wheat flour: 100%
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Instant yeast: .41%
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Water: 88.9%
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Total: 189.3%
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(Dough)
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Soaker: 114%
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Whole-wheat poolish: 142%
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Whole-wheat flour: 100%
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Salt: 3.7%
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Instant yeast: 1.2%
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Honey: 16.7%
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Vegetable oil: 5.6%
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Egg: 18.3%
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Total: 401.5%
* Per serving · 4 servings · Values may vary.
No additional tips available.
No specific allergen information. Please check the ingredient list for possible allergens.
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Frequently Asked Questions
This recipe makes 4 servings. You can adjust the portion size directly on this page.
You need 12 ingredients. The key ingredients include: 1 cup (4.25 ounces) coarse whole-wheat flour or other coarsely ground whole grains (oats, corn, barley, rye), 3/4 cup (6 ounces) water, at room temperature, 1 1/2 cups (6.75 ounces) high-protein whole-wheat flour, 1/4 teaspoon (.028 ounce) instant yeast, and more.
Yes, Whole-Wheat Bread falls under the General category and is a great choice for this type of meal.
Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3–5 days. For longer storage, freeze for up to 3 months — no need to refrigerate or reheat.