I’ve had a dilemma with whole wheat bread my whole life: it just didn’t taste good to me. My main complaints were that it was dry and kind of bitter. I’ve found solutions to both of these problems. Hurray! All you need is some freshly ground flour. I used to add some extra things in the bread, but I stopped using them one by one only to realize that I couldn’t really tell much of a difference without them. It’s the fresh flour that makes the most difference. I use white wheat for a milder flavor, but red wheat is also nice.
The recipe is really simple.
The Dough
Put into a mixing bowl and stir together:
4 1/4 c. warm water
1/3 c. honey
2 T. yeast
1 1/2 T. salt
Now, add to the bowl and mix until the dough pulls away from the sides and is not too sticky:
9-10 c. whole wheat flour
Let the dough rise until doubled in a warm place. I put mine in a warm oven. To do this, I turn my oven on for 90 seconds and turn it off, then set a timer for 1 hour of rising time.
Knead the dough on an oiled counter and divide it into 3 loaves. Put the loaves in greased loaf pans and let them rise in a warm oven until they reach the tops of the loaf pans.
Baking
Leaving the loaves in the oven, turn it on to 350 and bake for 37-40 minutes. There is no need to preheat and remove the loaves. The baking time includes the preheat time and makes everything so much simpler. It also gives the bread a thicker crust. If you don’t want that, let the oven preheat first and bake the loaves for 30-35 minutes.
Serve the whole wheat bread with butter or your favorite toppings. My mother-in-law says this bread makes the best toast ever, and I agree!
Find more recipes for yeast breads here.
Old-Fashioned Whole Wheat Bread
Equipment
- 3 loaf pans
Ingredients
- 4 1/4 cups water warm
- 1/3 cup honey
- 2 tablespoons yeast
- 1 1/2 tablespoons salt
- 9-10 cups whole wheat flour freshly ground
Instructions
- Stir the first 4 ingredients together until combined.4 1/4 cups water, 1/3 cup honey, 2 tablespoons yeast, 1 1/2 tablespoons salt
- Add 9 cups of flour and mix until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl. If it's still too sticky, add another cup of flour.9-10 cups whole wheat flour
- Let the dough rise in a warm place for 1 hour, or until doubled. I use a warm oven.
- Knead and divide the dough into 3 parts. Form loaves and put them in greased loaf pans.
- Place the risen loaves inside the oven, turn it to 350, and bake for 37-40 minutes for a thicker crust. For a regular crust, let the oven preheat first and bake the loaves for 30-35 minutes.
- For best results, let the loaves cool before slicing them.