Whole Wheat Bread
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Whole Wheat Bread
Anyone know a good recipe for whole wheat bread? All the ones I've found use some other type of white flour and I want whole wheat bread. Thanks guys!
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Originally Posted by Bécane
My recipe requires walking to my neighborhood boulangerie.
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Originally Posted by cheebahmunkey
Anyone know a good recipe for whole wheat bread? All the ones I've found use some other type of white flour and I want whole wheat bread. Thanks guys!
1 7/8 cups water
2 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons oil
3 tablespoons honey
400 grams whole wheat flour
200 grams whole oat flour
70 grams vital wheat gluten
2 tablespoons dry milk powder
2 teaspoons active dry yeast
If you don't want to use oat flour you can easly just use 600 grams of whole wheat flour instead, but I love the moist, fluffy bread you get with oat flour. Also, I don't use store bought wheat or oat flour. I buy organic wheat berries and oat groats in bulk (50lbs bags) and grind the flour myself using an electric grinder.
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I just replace the white flour with whole wheat flour in my regular recipes. Same thing with banana bread - in my opinion, even better with whole wheat.
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Originally Posted by cheebahmunkey
... if anyone knows of a good banana bread recipe it would be a great help (I looooove banana bread).
Here's one I tried just the other day and it's delicious...
Banana Nut Bread
1-3/4 cups flour
1-1/4 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda
2/3 cup granulated sugar (or 1/2 cup sugar + 2/3 cup brown sugar)
1/3 cup shortening (or 1 stick butter)
2 eggs
1 Tbls. milk
1 cup mashed ripe banana (about 3 med. bananas -- I used 4 mashed ripe bananas)
1/4 cup chopped walnuts (you can omit if you don't want nuts)
1 to 2 Tbls. butter
- Combine flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda. Set aside.
- Beat together sugar and shortening (you can use an electric mixer set on medium speed for 5 min., but I just used a fork to cut the sugar into the butter and mixed by hand).
- Add eggs and milk, a little at a time, while beating. (If using electric mixer, beat at med. speed for 1 min.)
- Alternate adding flour mixture and mashed bananas while beating at low speed until everything is combined.
- Fold in nuts by hand (if using nuts).
- Pour in greased loaf pan and bake in a 350 deg. F oven for 60-65 minutes.
- Rub butter over the top of the hot loaf.
Note: You can make 4 mini loaves using small pans, in which case bake for 30-35 minutes.
I got this recipe from Robbie's Recipes.
I mixed everything by hand and used unbleached flour and butter (instead of all-purpose white flour and shortening). I also used honey and brown sugar + some cinnamon and cardamon instead of just white sugar. It's an old-fashioned banana bread recipe and you can substitute any ingredients with something equivalent that's suitable for you. My oven is very uneven in temperature so I had to keep watch over the bread and bake it a little longer than necessary. Using a lot of bananas, you can make a very moist banana bread (or use less for more fluffiness). Mine came out very dense and almost doughy and not too sweet, but that's the way I like it. I'm planning on making a bunch as "energy bars" so I can carry them for my rides. I'm sick of eating Clif Bars.
Have fun!
-Kevin
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wow thanks everyone for the replies so far. I think I'm gonna try and make some whole wheat tonight. I'll let you know if my kitchen explodes
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You might be interested in getting a book like "Laurel's Kitchen Bread Book" - all whole grain recipes.
The difficulty with 100% whole wheat breads is that they can easily be very very dense. Laurel (of the book) calls these loaves "bricks." I think you know what I'm talking about! I do a LOT of bread baking, and have found that you can make excellent high-fiber bread using a mix of 75% or so whole-wheat flour mixed with 25% white. This has no ingredients other than flour, spring water, salt, and my own wild-caught sourdough starter - no sweeteners, no dairy. But that's what I like. I don't know your reasons for avoiding white flour, but those are my thoughts.
I don't know where you live, but I really like the Wheat Montana brand of flours. Not organic, but no chemicals used to raise the wheat, and the flour is unbleached and a good gluten level for bread. King Arthur is another good brand. I've also had good luck with the White Lily BREAD flour - their regular has too low a level of gluten to make good bread (but is fantastic for biscuits!!).
If you're lucky, Wheat Montana might have small flour mills in your grocery store so you can have the wheat berries ground right there for the freshest flour possible. My local stores have this and it's fabulous. Having fresh whole-wheat flour makes a big difference in terms of taste and also for the dough to rise well. Be wary of whole wheat flour on grocery store shelves unless you know there's a good turnover. Whole wheat flour older than 6 months and left unrefrigerated tends to have a rancid flavor.
There are lots of good bread cookbooks out there - good author to look for include Peter Reinhart, Rose Levy Beranbaum, Maggie Glezer, and Nancy Silverton. If you're just starting out baking, try not to get discouraging if you have disappointing results. A lot of people need to do it a few times to get a feel for it.
The difficulty with 100% whole wheat breads is that they can easily be very very dense. Laurel (of the book) calls these loaves "bricks." I think you know what I'm talking about! I do a LOT of bread baking, and have found that you can make excellent high-fiber bread using a mix of 75% or so whole-wheat flour mixed with 25% white. This has no ingredients other than flour, spring water, salt, and my own wild-caught sourdough starter - no sweeteners, no dairy. But that's what I like. I don't know your reasons for avoiding white flour, but those are my thoughts.
I don't know where you live, but I really like the Wheat Montana brand of flours. Not organic, but no chemicals used to raise the wheat, and the flour is unbleached and a good gluten level for bread. King Arthur is another good brand. I've also had good luck with the White Lily BREAD flour - their regular has too low a level of gluten to make good bread (but is fantastic for biscuits!!).
If you're lucky, Wheat Montana might have small flour mills in your grocery store so you can have the wheat berries ground right there for the freshest flour possible. My local stores have this and it's fabulous. Having fresh whole-wheat flour makes a big difference in terms of taste and also for the dough to rise well. Be wary of whole wheat flour on grocery store shelves unless you know there's a good turnover. Whole wheat flour older than 6 months and left unrefrigerated tends to have a rancid flavor.
There are lots of good bread cookbooks out there - good author to look for include Peter Reinhart, Rose Levy Beranbaum, Maggie Glezer, and Nancy Silverton. If you're just starting out baking, try not to get discouraging if you have disappointing results. A lot of people need to do it a few times to get a feel for it.
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Originally Posted by iowarose
You might be interested in getting a book like "Laurel's Kitchen Bread Book" - all whole grain recipes.
The difficulty with 100% whole wheat breads is that they can easily be very very dense. Laurel (of the book) calls these loaves "bricks." I think you know what I'm talking about! I do a LOT of bread baking, and have found that you can make excellent high-fiber bread using a mix of 75% or so whole-wheat flour mixed with 25% white. This has no ingredients other than flour, spring water, salt, and my own wild-caught sourdough starter - no sweeteners, no dairy. But that's what I like. I don't know your reasons for avoiding white flour, but those are my thoughts.
The difficulty with 100% whole wheat breads is that they can easily be very very dense. Laurel (of the book) calls these loaves "bricks." I think you know what I'm talking about! I do a LOT of bread baking, and have found that you can make excellent high-fiber bread using a mix of 75% or so whole-wheat flour mixed with 25% white. This has no ingredients other than flour, spring water, salt, and my own wild-caught sourdough starter - no sweeteners, no dairy. But that's what I like. I don't know your reasons for avoiding white flour, but those are my thoughts.
Originally Posted by iowarose
I don't know where you live, but I really like the Wheat Montana brand of flours. Not organic, but no chemicals used to raise the wheat, and the flour is unbleached and a good gluten level for bread. King Arthur is another good brand. I've also had good luck with the White Lily BREAD flour - their regular has too low a level of gluten to make good bread (but is fantastic for biscuits!!).
If you're lucky, Wheat Montana might have small flour mills in your grocery store so you can have the wheat berries ground right there for the freshest flour possible. My local stores have this and it's fabulous. Having fresh whole-wheat flour makes a big difference in terms of taste and also for the dough to rise well. Be wary of whole wheat flour on grocery store shelves unless you know there's a good turnover. Whole wheat flour older than 6 months and left unrefrigerated tends to have a rancid flavor.
If you're lucky, Wheat Montana might have small flour mills in your grocery store so you can have the wheat berries ground right there for the freshest flour possible. My local stores have this and it's fabulous. Having fresh whole-wheat flour makes a big difference in terms of taste and also for the dough to rise well. Be wary of whole wheat flour on grocery store shelves unless you know there's a good turnover. Whole wheat flour older than 6 months and left unrefrigerated tends to have a rancid flavor.
I've tried Wheat Montana wheat berries and oat groats, and I was not impressed. My wife is from Montana so she wanted to try some, but the groats we got just seemed old. We get most of our organic wheat and oats from Walton Feed (https://www.waltonfeed.com/), and have never been disappointed.
For store bought flour (usually the unbleached white type) I prefer Arrowhead Mills, but King Arthur is good too.
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so you recommend using wheat gluten? The onyl problem with that is my mother (I'm home from college) and I may have gluten sensitivity. Will the bread be inedible if we don't use the wheat gluten? Or is there anything we could substitute for the gluten?
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cheebahmunkey, does the dry milk powder make the above recipe non-Kosher for consumption with meat?
One technique you could use that might offset the gluten if you choose not to use it is "turning" the bread during its first rise. What you do is take the dough out of the rising bowl, put it on a floured surface, stretch it lightly so it is very roughly square, and then fold the corners to the center. Put the seam side of the dough back into the bowl. I do this 3 times at thirty minute intervals with my bread and it makes a tremendous difference in texture and height. I use a stand mixer, by the way, not a bread machine. It does mean I reduce kneading time a bit. The first rise of my bread usually takes 3 hours, and I let the loaves proof overnight in the refrigerator. Then I bake. Long rising times add quite a lot of flavor.
One technique you could use that might offset the gluten if you choose not to use it is "turning" the bread during its first rise. What you do is take the dough out of the rising bowl, put it on a floured surface, stretch it lightly so it is very roughly square, and then fold the corners to the center. Put the seam side of the dough back into the bowl. I do this 3 times at thirty minute intervals with my bread and it makes a tremendous difference in texture and height. I use a stand mixer, by the way, not a bread machine. It does mean I reduce kneading time a bit. The first rise of my bread usually takes 3 hours, and I let the loaves proof overnight in the refrigerator. Then I bake. Long rising times add quite a lot of flavor.
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Originally Posted by 3cannondales
I just replace the white flour with whole wheat flour in my regular recipes. Same thing with banana bread - in my opinion, even better with whole wheat.
ditto - substituting ingredients when baking can lead to the occasional disaster, but that's what makes life interesting!!
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Originally Posted by iowarose
cheebahmunkey, does the dry milk powder make the above recipe non-Kosher for consumption with meat?
One technique you could use that might offset the gluten if you choose not to use it is "turning" the bread during its first rise. What you do is take the dough out of the rising bowl, put it on a floured surface, stretch it lightly so it is very roughly square, and then fold the corners to the center. Put the seam side of the dough back into the bowl. I do this 3 times at thirty minute intervals with my bread and it makes a tremendous difference in texture and height. I use a stand mixer, by the way, not a bread machine. It does mean I reduce kneading time a bit. The first rise of my bread usually takes 3 hours, and I let the loaves proof overnight in the refrigerator. Then I bake. Long rising times add quite a lot of flavor.
One technique you could use that might offset the gluten if you choose not to use it is "turning" the bread during its first rise. What you do is take the dough out of the rising bowl, put it on a floured surface, stretch it lightly so it is very roughly square, and then fold the corners to the center. Put the seam side of the dough back into the bowl. I do this 3 times at thirty minute intervals with my bread and it makes a tremendous difference in texture and height. I use a stand mixer, by the way, not a bread machine. It does mean I reduce kneading time a bit. The first rise of my bread usually takes 3 hours, and I let the loaves proof overnight in the refrigerator. Then I bake. Long rising times add quite a lot of flavor.
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Originally Posted by cheebahmunkey
so you recommend using wheat gluten? The onyl problem with that is my mother (I'm home from college) and I may have gluten sensitivity. Will the bread be inedible if we don't use the wheat gluten? Or is there anything we could substitute for the gluten?
Btw, the dry milk powder in my recipe is totally optional. Sometimes I use it, sometimes I don't. A bit of milk powder helps in rising and it makes the bread a bit darker during baking, but you can easily just leave it out.
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ok I made 6 hamburger rolls and 4 hot dog buns out of the recipe I had in a bread machine book. They didn't expand much at all so they're rather small and dense. They taste good though. I guess we would need to add bread flour for them to puff up like the sandwich buns I'm used to. I have yet to make a banana bread but I'll keep you guys updated if I come up with something reeaaaall good.