100% Whole Wheat Sandwich Bread
Cook Time: 25-30 mins
Cook Temp: 350 F
Ingredients
2 cups
hot water
2 cups
milk
1 Tbsp
yeast
1/4 cup
sugar
—
1 Tbsp
lemon juice
1
egg
1/4 cup
sugar
1/2 cup
oil
1 Tbsp
salt
About 10 cups
whole wheat flour
Instructions
1
Combine hot water with the milk in a bowl so the temperature is lukewarm. (if it’s too hot it will kill the yeast) Add sugar and yeast and let set for about 10 minutes.
2
In a large mixing bowl combine the lemon juice, egg, remaining sugar, oil and salt. Pour in the liquid yeast mixture and stir until combined.
3
Add 6 cups of the whole wheat flour and mix until combined.
4
Add the remaining 4 cups of flour, 1 at a time, mixing each time until combined. Keep adding flour until your dough is not longer sticky, but still soft. (you may have to add more or less than 10 cups depending on altitude or humidity)
5
Knead the dough until it passes the “window pane” test. This will take longer than when kneading white bread. (YouTube bread window pane test if you don’t know what that entitles. The time of kneading will depend on if you are doing it by hand or by machine. I never go by time, but instead by feel for best results)
6
Cover the dough and proof for about an hour. Knock the dough down and proof for an additional hour.
7
Knock the dough down and divide into 4 equal portions. Form the dough into loaves and place in greased bread pans. Cover the loaves with plastic wrap or a damp towel and proof for about an hour.
8
Preheat the oven to 350 F and bake bread until golden brown, about 25 minutes. You can tell when the bread is done when it makes a hollow sound if you tap the bottom of it. Cool the finished loaves on a rack. Store in airtight bags or in the freezer.
Notes
-Bake temperature and time vary according to your oven. My oven bakes hotter than normal, so I bake at 350 F for 25 minutes. You might have to play around a bit with your temperature and bake time to get the perfect result.
-Lemon juice is added as a preservative, it helps the bread stay fresh longer. It doesn’t overly affect the taste, so if you don’t have any it’s not a deal-breaker if you eat the bread in a day or two, or freeze it.
-You can omit the egg if needed, but I find it helps a little with structure.
-If you can’t find milk at the store (these are crazy times!), you can always substitute it with water, it just might not taste as awesome. You could also use less sugar. I’ve made this bread with only a 1/4 cup of sugar...it was okay. I wouldn’t recommend using less than 1/2 cup of oil though.
-Feel free to half the recipe if you don't have enough loaf pans.
***If you are making bread from home-ground wheat, the bread will be a lot more dense, because (in my experience) I can't grind the wheat as fine as you would get in store bought whole wheat flour.
You can try and double grind your wheat (that's a lot of time/work!)
Also, be sure to DOUBLE THE YEAST! This is important in getting a good rise.
Adding a cup or two of store bought whole wheat flour, or white flour can help with gluten development as well.
Good luck!
Keep in mind that it might take a few tries to get it just right...heck it took me a few years to make a bread that I would actually eat a sandwich on!
***If you are making bread from home-ground wheat, the bread will be a lot more dense, because (in my experience) I can't grind the wheat as fine as you would get in store bought whole wheat flour.
You can try and double grind your wheat (that's a lot of time/work!)
Also, be sure to DOUBLE THE YEAST! This is important in getting a good rise.
Adding a cup or two of store bought whole wheat flour, or white flour can help with gluten development as well.
Good luck!
Keep in mind that it might take a few tries to get it just right...heck it took me a few years to make a bread that I would actually eat a sandwich on!
