Honey Whole Wheat Bread
Honey Whole Wheat Bread Recipe that I have been making since I was a teenager.
My friends, the Buchanan’s mother was making this bread one day I went to visit and I was hooked. Not only was I hooked about the whole process of baking bread, but I was hooked on this specific bread. Earthy but moist, sweet but not too sweet, perfect with just butter or in a sandwich.
This is a very simple recipe by bread standards. It is best done with a glass of wine and friends to share when it comes out of the oven. Have some cheese handy and some really great butter. I started making this bread in the Dominican Republic where I had no access to bread flour. Just regular white flour and whole wheat flour. So that is what I learned to use. When I was in school in Philadelphia, I learned about unbleached flour. I haven’t used anything else since. I have also used bread flour. I haven’t found an incredible difference. Not enough to worry about it. If you want to use it, by all means… but it isn’t necessary.
Ingredients
- 4 cup unbleached flour (I buy King Arthur, but any other will do)
- 2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
- 2 pkgs. dry yeast
- 1 tbsp sea salt
- 1 cup milk
- 1/2 cup honey
- 1 cup water
- 3 tbsp butter or shortening
- 1 egg
It is best if you have a bread bowl. They are a must and every kitchen should have one. Big, thick ceramic bowls. And a nice, old, cotton towel to wet and cover the bowl with.
I like regular bread pans. Not the Tefflon coated ones. Make sure you grease the pans really well. You can spray them with Pam if you like. Just make sure the bread isn’t going to stick.
The first time I made this bread it was like a brick. I didn’t knead it enough. With time I learned how long I needed to knead it.
You want to let it just about double in size after you put them in the bread pans. Otherwise you will have a more compact texture.
Step by Step Instructions
Step 1
Dry Mix: Mix 1 cup of the unbleached flour with the whole wheat flour, yeast, and salt in a mixer bowl. I use a KitchenAid mixer, but, when I was young I only had a regular mixer and did a lot of it by hand. It worked just as well.
Step 2
Liquid Mix: Heat the milk, honey, water and shortening until it is warm but not hot. It has to he warm enough to activate the yeast, but not hot enough to kill it. You can microwave it. But, again, if you are a purist, use the stove.
Step 3
Add liquid to the dry mixture. Mix together. Add the egg and beat at medium speed for 3 minutes.
Reduce the speed to the slowest setting and slowly start adding about 2-3 cups of unbleached flour. It may be more or less the 2 cups. Add them a little at a time.
If you have a good mixer, you can knead it in the mixer for about 3-4 minutes. Then knead by hand until the dough doesn’t stick to your hand.
Or, if you are doing it by hand, you will be stirring in the flour very slowly until you realize you need to take it to the kneading board because it is very hard to stir. Knead by hand for another 5 minutes. You will notice that the dough will be sticking to the palms of your hands and leaving dough stuck. When the dough stops being so sticky, it is time to stop kneading.
Step 4
Place in a greased bowl. I swirl some olive oil at the bottom of the bowl, place the dough in it, then pick it up, turn it upside down and place in the bowl again. This coats all sides with the oil.
Step 5
Wet a dish towel in warm water. Wring out. Cover the bowl with it and let rise in your unlit oven, or a warm place away from draft for about 45 minutes to 1 hour, or when the dough has doubled in size.
Step 6
Punch the dough down.
Cut it with a knife to divide in half. Roll each to 14 x 7″ rectangles. Roll up tightly. This is the most important part. If it isn’t done correctly, you will have air pockets in your bread. These are the wholes you get in bread sometimes that lets the mayo fall through. Not a good thing for a sandwich. Roll and pinch the dough together leaving no air pockets. Place, seam down, in well greased 9 x 5″ loaf pans. (I use PAM or substitute) No Teflon, please. Let rise for 30 minutes or so, until doubled in size.
Step 7
Bake at 375°F for about 35-40 minutes.
Step 8
Turn out on cooling racks. Let cool before cutting. If you want softer crust, turn bread upside down on cooling rack.
Place in a greased bowl –I swirl some olive oil at the bottom of the bowl, place the dough in it, then pick it up, turn it upside down and place in the bowl again. This coats all sides with the oil.
Wet a dish towel in warm water. Wring out. Cover the bowl with it and let rise in your unlit oven, or a warm place away from draft for about 45 minutes to 1 hour, or when the dough has doubled in size.
Punch the dough down.
Cut it with a knife to divide in half. Roll each to 14 x 7″ rectangles. Roll up tightly. Roll and pinch the dough together leaving no air pockets.
Place, seam down, in well greased 9 x 5″ loaf pans. (I use PAM or substitute) No Teflon, please. Let rise for 30 minutes or so, until doubled in size.
Bake at 375°F for about 35-40 minutes.
Turn out on cooling racks. Let cool before cutting. If you want softer crust, turn bread upside down on cooling rack.
The hard thing to do is to not eat the whole loaf!!!