Whole Wheat Loaf Bread

I have been having so much fun grinding grains and adding them to many of our go-to recipes to increase their nutritional value. When I started grinding wheat, I knew I needed to find a great whole wheat loaf bread to use as sandwiches and toast (or just for eating hot out of the oven!). I tried quite a few. I tried different amounts of wheat flour and all purpose or bread flour combinations. But a lot of them were just too heavy and dense for me. Then I realized I needed to probably add vital wheat gluten for better results in loaves I was using predominantly home ground wheat. That has really helped! I even researched dough conditioners for helping with texture and crumb. Did you know you can crush up a vitamin C tablet in bread dough to help with that? I haven't done it yet. But one natural conditioner I decided to start using is whey (left from straining yogurt or ricotta) in place of water. While not necessary, I like the loaves that I make with it just a slight bit better! I'm sure there are all kinds of crazy things and preservatives I could add for a more "store-bought" type loaf, but that is obviously not what we're going for! Simple is better. I've changed and tweaked and messed with this recipe for months now, but I finally think I about have it (of course knowing myself I will probably continue to mess with it!).

Whole Wheat Loaf Bread
1 cup warm whey or water
2 tsp yeast
2 Tbs brown sugar
2 Tbs honey
1 egg yolk
2 Tbs oil
1 Tbs milk powder (can omit if using whey)
1 tsp salt
2 3/4 - 3 cups fresh ground whole wheat flour
3 Tbs vital wheat gluten
1 - 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

In a large bowl, mix together warm water or whey, yeast, sugar, and honey. Allow to sit just a few minutes to know that your yeast has activated and is getting bubbly (I do this with both active or instant yeast so that I don't waste a bunch of ingredients on bad yeast or if my water is too hot). Stir in egg yolk, oil, salt and milk powder.

Stir in whole wheat flour and gluten (FYI--stir the gluten into the flour first and don't put it directly on the liquids by itself!) until you get a sticky mass of dough.

Dump out onto a clean, well-floured surface and begin to knead, adding all purpose flour as necessary. Knead for 8-10 minutes. Its important to go the full time to really develop the gluten and yeast so your bread will have the desired texture and rise! I usually set a timer!

Dough should have a smooth, slightly tacky texture at the end of the kneading time. Lightly oil a bowl and place the dough in it, turning once. Cover loosely with plastic wrap or a damp towel and set in a warm place to rise. Allow dough to rise to double its size. Punch dough down and pat out into a small rectangle on a clean surface. Roll up loosely and place in a greased loaf pan (I use an 8x4 inch pan). Again, lightly cover with a towel or plastic wrap and allow to rise in the pan until it is an inch or two above the rim.

Bake at 350F (180C) for 30-35 minutes. You may need to lay a piece of foil over top halfway through so the top doesn't get too browned.

Enjoy!!

This recipe is heavily adapted from Tammy's Recipes.