Whole Wheat Bread

March and April 2020: Otherwise known as "the two months everyone was stuck inside and decided to make bread – because what else are we supposed to do during a pandemic?" This is my contribution to the great Bread-Baking Challenge of 2020.

My mother-in-law surprised me with a bread-baking activity a couple weeks ago and we had a ton of fun doing this together. I highly suggest turning this into an activity with your roommates or significant others. It's a great way to feel resourceful and end up with a delicious reward to show for it.

Some of the ingredients in this recipe are kinda weird, and you might not have them around (looking at you, dried milk). However, if you are a star Doomsday Prepper™, then you might have dried milk sitting somewhere in the deep dark corner of your pantry (or bunker).

What you need

227-255g lukewarm water

50g vegetable oil

85g honey, can substitute with molasses or maple syrup

3.5 cups whole wheat flour

2.5 TSP instant yeast, or 1 packet active dry yeast dissolved in 2 tablespoons of the water in the recipe

35g dry milk, can be nonfat

1 1/4 TSP salt

Directions

1) Measure out the flour and water in separate bowls. When measuring the flour, scoop it into the measuring cup before placing in the bowl. Now take 3 tablespoons of the measured flour and 1/2 cup of the water; put them in a saucepan set over medium-high heat. Cook the mixture, whisking constantly, until it forms a thick slurry; this will take about 1.5-2.5 minutes. Transfer the cooked mixture to a bowl, let it cool until lukewarm.

2) In a large bowl, combine the flour, the remaining water, oil, honey, yeast, dry milk, salt and the slurry mixture. Stir until the dough starts to leave the sides of the bowl. Add extra water a tablespoon at a time if the dough is too dry (should need about 2 additional tablespoons).

3) Let the dough rest for 20-30 minutes in the bowl; this gives the flour a chance to absorb some of the liquid, and the bran to soften. Transfer the dough to a lightly greased surface, oil your hands, and knead it for 6 to 8 minutes, or until it begins to become smooth and supple. Add a tablespoon or more of water if it's still dry, or more flour if it's too wet. This dough should be soft, yet still firm enough to knead.

4) Transfer the dough to a lightly greased bowl or large measuring cup, cover it, and allow the dough to rise till puffy though not necessarily doubled in bulk, about 1 to 2 hours, depending on the warmth of your kitchen.

5) Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled work surface, and shape it into an 8" log. Place the log in a lightly greased 8 1/2" x 4 1/2" loaf pan, cover the pan loosely with lightly greased plastic wrap, and allow the bread to rise for about 1 to 2 hours, or till the center has crowned about 1" above the rim of the pan. Towards the end of the rising time, preheat the oven to 350°F.

6) Bake the bread for 35-40 minutes, tenting it lightly with aluminum foil after 20 minutes to prevent over-browning. The finished loaf will register 190°F on an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center.

7) Remove the bread from the oven, and turn it out of the pan onto a rack to cool. If desired, rub the crust with a stick of butter; this will yield a soft, flavorful crust. Cool completely before slicing. Store the bread in a plastic bag at room temperature.

You are going to want to slice into this bread the minute it's out of the oven. DON'T DO IT. I promise you, it's worth the wait!

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Some notes about this recipe

The amount of water you need in this recipe really varies. If you measure flour by weight or if you sprinkle the flour into the measuring cup, then level it off, you could need less water. You'll need the greater amount of water if you measure flour by dipping your cup into the canister (packing the cup full of flour), then leveling it off.

The liquid sweetener you choose makes a difference. Molasses produces the darkest loaf, one with old-fashioned flavor. Honey yields a lighter, milder loaf. Maple syrup makes a less-sweet loaf – unless you use real maple syrup, in which case it'll be similar to a loaf made with honey, albeit with a faint hint of maple.

If you're someone who tends to taste whole wheat as somewhat bitter, try substituting 1/4 cup of orange juice for 1/4 cup of the water in this recipe. A bit of orange juice tones down whole wheat's somewhat tannic taste.