EASY HONEY WHEAT BREAD

There is only one rise with this simple and easy recipe for soft whole wheat loaf with no egg. Oil should be at room temperature and always aerate your flour before measuring. 

Please watch the below videos before baking. They are quick and will give you an idea of consistency and technique. 

Please follow the recipe below.

• Prep time: 15 minutes
• Cook time: 25 minutes
• Total time: 2 hour 15 minutes
• Makes: 2 loaves

Ingredients:

• 3 1/3 cups whole wheat flour ( aerate flour when measuring, see attached video))
• 2/3 cup all-purpose flour or bread flour ( aerate flour when measuring)
• 2 packages active dry yeast (4 1⁄2 tsp) or 3.37 tsp instant yeast
• 2 cups 1% or 2% milk heated to 110 degrees (do not go over 110 degrees, it can kill yeast)
• 2 tsp salt
• 6 TBS olive oil
• 4 TBS honey
• About 1⁄4 cup -1/3 cup additional all-purpose flour or bread flour
• Old fashioned oats for topping

Instructions:

1. Place both flours, yeast and salt in large mixing bowl (bowl of stand mixer)

2. Stir in milk, followed by oil and honey

3. Beat on med/high for 2 minutes with a paddle attachment (Speed 3-4)

4. Add about 1⁄4 cup all purpose flour or bread flour until dough forms a mass. Add this additional flour 1-2 TBS at a time, you may not need the whole 1⁄4 cup or you may need slightly more. Dough will be slightly sticky but should start to pull away from bowl.

5. Place dough on floured surface, knead 50 times, it will still be sticky, use a pastry card or spatula to knead and scoop it up. You may need a bit of flour on your fingers. After kneading 50 times the dough may still be slightly sticky but manageable.

6. Cover with plastic wrap or a clean towel and let rest for 10 min

7. Divide dough into 2 equal halves and with each half press into a rectangle about

9 “wide and roll up the loaf starting at short end. Keep seam side down. You may need to flour your hands and use the pastry card to keep dough from sticking to your hands. (Don’t add too much flour, bread will be heavy).

8. Brush top of each loaf using a pastry brush with water or honey and roll top of bread in a jelly roll pan lined with oatmeal.

9. Place each loaf in a greased 8.5 X 4.5 inch loaf pan seam side down

10. Cover with plastic wrap or towel and let rise in warm spot until doubled in size, about 90 minutes

11. Preheat oven to 375 degrees and bake for a total of 25 minutes. After the first 15

minutes, I cover the top of the loaf with a foil tent to prevent over-browning. Check

bread temperature to be sure it is 190 degrees.

12. Cool for 10 minutes in pan, then remove breads from loaf pan and place on cooling rack to cool. Do not place breads in a plastic bag until completely cooled.

Please Follow the Recipe Below:

Prep time: 15-30 min 

Cook time: 40 minutes 

Rise time: 2 hours

Total time: 3-3 1⁄4 hours

Makes: 2 loaves 

Ingredients:

• 2 1⁄2 cup 1% or 2% milk

• 1 cup plus 1TBS water

• 1⁄2 cup butter (113g)

• 1⁄2 cup honey

• 6 1⁄2 to 7 cups whole wheat flour (830g-910g)

• 2 cups old fashioned rolled oats, plus extra for rolling on top. 

(If using double thick rolled oats you will need to process them using a steel blade in a food processor, so they are finer to absorb the liquid).

• 2 packets active dry yeast (4 1⁄2 tsp) or (3.37 tsp instant yeast)

• 2 tsp salt

• 1 egg + 1 tsp water or honey or water for wash on top of bread prior to rolling it in oats to coat top

Instructions:

1. In a small saucepan over low heat warm the water, milk, butter and honey until the butter is melted and mixture is smooth. Cool this mixture for several minutes until temperature is 110 degrees. If more than 110 degrees, the heat will kill the yeast.

2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, or in a large bowl if you plan to mix by hand, combine 4 cups (520g) of the whole wheat flour, oats, yeast and salt.

3. Add the milk mixture and mix until combined. The mixture will be quite loose, I do this by hand with a wooden spoon. Then I put the bowl on the mixer with the dough hook and add the remaining whole wheat, 2 1⁄2 -3 cups (310g-390g) 2 tablespoons at a time until the dough is still sticky but clears the side of the bowl. You may not need the whole 7 cups of flour (910g) so add slowly. DO not go faster than speed 2 with dough hook.

4. Continue to mix or knead by hand until smooth and elastic, it still may be a bit sticky, (7-8 minutes with a mixer on speed 2, scraping the sides down a few times), (15 minutes by hand)

5. Place dough in a greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap or towel and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.

6. Gently punch down the dough and place on lightly floured surface. Shape into a rectangle and cut the dough in half. You will have dough for 2 loaves. Knead each half a few times and flatten each loaf into a rectangle approximately 9 inches wide. Starting with the short end, roll up the dough, keeping the seam side down.

7. Place old fashioned oatmeal (about 90-100g) in jelly roll pan and spread out

8. With a pastry brush, brush top of dough with the egg wash or honey or water and roll top of bread in the oatmeal that is in the jelly roll pan to cover the top. Place bread seam side down in a 9 X 5 inch greased loaf pan. Cover with plastic wrap or towel and let rise until doubled again, about 1 hour.

9. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Bake loaves of bread for 20 min, cover with foil to prevent over browning, and bake another 20 min. Check temperature of bread with a bread thermometer, at 190 degrees it is done.

10. Cool for 10 minutes in pan, then remove breads from loaf pan and place on cooling rack to cool. Do not place breads in a plastic bag until completely cooled.