Whole Wheat Bread

Handmade Canadian Whole Wheat Bread

I was reading Ann Murphy-Hiscock's 2009 book  The Way of the Hedge Witch, and thought I'd try her Basic Traditional Bread recipe...when I realized it is this one, posted here five years ago. Had I taken this book out of the library before? It certainly looks like it's been in many hands in the thirteen years the book has been in circulation, so many loaves of this bread may have been baked since then.

Stir this dough with a wooden spoon (or a Dutch dough whisk) and knead by hand the old-fashioned way.

• 2 cups warm water (110 degrees F)
• 2 Tbsp sugar or honey
• 1 Tbsp traditional dry yeast
• 2 cups whole-wheat flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup white flour plus more
• canola, olive or other cooking oil

1. Put 2 cups warm water in a large glass or ceramic bowl and stir in the sugar or honey  until dissolved.
2. Sprinkle the yeast into the water. Wait 5-10 minutes for yeast to activate.
3. Stir in 2 cups whole-wheat flour with wooden mixing spoon until no big lumps remain.
4. Add the rest of the flour little by little, mixing well. Stir clockwise until dough is the consistency of cake batter and the spoon will stand up on its own in the middle of the bowl for a couple of seconds before falling over.
5. Cover bowl with a damp lint-free dishtowel and set bowl in a warm place (around 76-80 degrees F) to rise at least 2 hours.
6. Add salt to 1/2 cup white flour and mix in. Add as much white flour as the dough will take, mixing it in until dough forms a ball and stops sticking to your hands.
7. Thoroughly oil a loaf pan.
8. Sprinkle countertop or wooden board with flour. Knead 5-15 minutes until smooth and elastic, adding white flour as necessary to keep the dough from becoming sticky.
9. Form the dough into a loaf shape. Put dough in the loaf pan bottom side up, then turn to oil all around.
10. Put back in a warm 76-80 degrees F place and allow to rise again, 45- 60 minutes until loaf is fully rised to the size it will be when baked.
11. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
12. Bake loaf 30-35 minutes.
13. Let loaf cool in pan on a rack until you can safely handle it, then turn out loaf onto the rack let loaf cool on a wire rack 30 minutes at least before slicing.

The following recipes use a mixture of whole wheat and all-purpose flour for a bread that's light in texture and made in a stand mixer.

Stand Mixer Single Loaf Whole Wheat Bread:

• 1-3/4 cups water at 110 degrees F
• 1 tsp brown sugar
• 1-1/8 tsp traditional dry yeast
• 1-3/4 cups whole wheat flour
• 1-3/4 cups all purpose white flour
• 1 Tbsp plus 1 tsp melted butter or margarine
• 1-1/2 tsp salt

In a two-cup measure, stir 1 tsp brown sugar into 1-3/4 cups water at 100 degrees F.

Sprinkle 1-1/4 tsp yeast over top.

Let stand 5 minutes, then stir. Let stand 5 minutes.

In mixer bowl, combine 1-3/4 cups whole wheat flour and 1-1/2 tsp. salt.

Mix in yeast mixture, then melted butter.

Cover with plastic wrap and let stand 20 minutes.

Add 1-3/4 cups white flour, mix with kneading hook at least 5 minutes.

Or if mixed by hand, knead by hand on floured counter until smooth, about 20-30 minutes.

Place in greased container, cover and let rise 1-1/2 to 2 hours or until doubled.

Punch down, form into loaf and place in greased loaf pan.

Cover and let rise again 1-1/2 hours.

Bake in preheated 400 degrees F oven for 20-30 minutes.

Two Loaves Whole Wheat Bread:

• 3-1/2 cups warm water
• 2 tsp brown sugar
• 1 pkg. yeast or 2-1/4 tsp.
• 3-1/2 cups whole wheat flour
• 2 Tbsp plus 2 tsp melted butter
• 1 Tbsp salt
• 3 cups white flour

4 Loaves Whole Wheat Bread Original Recipe: Stir and Hand-Knead

• 7 cups warm water
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 2 Tbsps traditional dry yeast (or 2 pkgs.)
• 7 cups whole wheat flour
• 1/3 cup melted margarine
• 2 Tbsp salt
• 7 cups white flour

In very large bowl, mix sugar and warm water, sprinkle yeast over, let stand 10 minutes, stir.

Mix in whole wheat flour, margarine and salt.

Add white flour, mix.

Turn on floured counter, knead.

Place in large greased container, cover and let rise 1-1/2 to 2 hours

Punch down, shape, place in 4 greased loaf pans. 

Cover and let rise 1-1/2 hours.

Bake at 400 degrees F 20-30 minutes.

Yields 4 loaves.

Stand Mixer Sandwich Bread and Raisin Bread Variation

This recipe makes 2 loaves of sandwich bread. 
Adding gluten when using whole wheat flour will make the dough more "stretchy" and the loaf lighter in texture.

If using only bread flour or only white all-purpose flour  (instead of the mixture of whole wheat and white in the ingredients,) it's not necessary to add gluten.

Quantities for 1 loaf and a sweeter dough for the Raisin Bread variation follow.

In large bowl of stand mixer, mix until well-combined:

• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1-1/2 cups all-purpose white flour
• 1/3 cup vital wheat gluten (optional)
• 4 tsp. quick rise instant dry yeast

Heat to 120-130 degrees F (test with a thermometer) :

• 2-1/2 cups milk

When it's at the correct temperature, add the very warm milk to the flour mixture.

Mix, scraping sides of bowl, about 1 minute.

Cover the bowl with a clean dishtowel and let rest 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine:

• 1 Tbsp salt
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1/3 cup sour cream OR plain Greek yogurt
• 4 tsp white vinegar

After the flour/yeast mixture has rested 10 minutes, uncover the bowl and add the sour cream/oil/salt/vinegar mixture.

Use the dough hook and mix 1 minute until combined.

Add the rest of the flour, mixing well after each addition:

• 2-1/2 cups all-purpose white flour

Knead on low speed with the dough hook, stopping to push dough down if it moves up over the top of the hook. Dough will be sticky but resist adding more flour, continue to mix and dough should become smooth and pull away from the sides of the bowl. This could take 5-15 minutes. If you need to add more flour, add a tablespoon at a time.

Grease with butter:

• 2 non-stick bread loaf pans, 9 x 5 x 2" OR 8-1/2 x 4-1/2 x 2-1/2" 

Flour your hands, remove bread from the bowl, divide in two.

Shape dough into 2 loaves to fit your pans, pressing dough into corners of greased pans.

Preheat oven to warm, 100 degrees F. (You can also turn oven to  350 degrees F for just 1 minute and then turn it off, which should give you a just-warm oven.)

Turn oven OFF.  Turn ON oven light.

Place loaves in warm oven to rise for 40 minutes or until doubled in bulk.

Leave the pans in the oven.

Turn the oven on to 350 degrees F.

Bake 30-40 minutes or until a digital thermometer inserted into the centre of each loaf reaches 200 degrees F.

Take baked loaves from oven and turn out of pans onto cooling rack.

Brush warm loaves with a little butter for a softer crust.

Cool before slicing. Store in a plastic bag or wrap in a dishcloth.

Use within a couple of days.

Extra loaf can be wrapped and frozen. 

TO MAKE ONE LOAF OF SANDWICH BREAD:

Follow instructions as above, using the following quantities. (Abbreviated instructions included.)

Combine:

• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 3/4 cup all-purpose white flour
• 2 Tbsp plus 2 tsp vital wheat gluten
• 2-1/4 tsp instant quick-rise dry yeast

Mix in for 1 minute:

• 1-1/4 cups milk warmed to 120-130 degrees F

Cover and let rest TEN minutes.

Combine and add to "rested" flour/milk mixture:

• 1-1/2 tsp. salt
• 2 Tbsp plus 2 tsp. vegetable oil
• 2 Tbsp plus 2 tsp sour cream OR plain Greek  yogurt
• 2 tsp white vinegar

Mix 1 minute with dough hook, scraping sides of bowl.

Add:

• 1-1/4 cups white all-purpose flour

Let mixture knead 5-15 minutes till you have a smooth dough.

Flour hands, remove dough from bowl, shape into loaf.

Press into greased loaf pan.

Let rise in slightly warm oven (turned off) about 40 minutes.

Leave in oven, turn oven on to 350 degrees F, bake 30-40 minutes or till done.

(Thermometer inserted into centre of baked loaf will read 200 degrees F).

Remove from plan, place on cooling rack, brush lightly with butter.

Let cool before slicing.

Whole Wheat Raisin Bread

These quantities are for two loaves of  raisin bread. Halve the quantities for a single loaf.

In large bowl of stand mixer, mix until well-combined:

• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1-1/2 cups all-purpose white flour
• 1/3 cup vital wheat gluten
• 4 tsp. quick rise instant dry yeast

Heat to 120-130 degrees F (test with a thermometer) :

• 2-1/2 cups milk 

When it's at the correct temperature, add the very warm milk to the flour mixture.

Mix, scraping sides of bowl, about 1 minute.

Cover the bowl with a clean dishtowel and let rest 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine:

• 1 Tbsp salt
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil (OR melted, cooled coconut oil)
• 1/3 cup honey
• 4 tsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp vanilla

After the flour/yeast mixture has rested 10 minutes, uncover the bowl and add the salt/oil/honey/lemon/vanilla mixture.

Use the dough hook and mix 1 minute until combined.

Add the rest of the flour, mixing well after each addition:

• 2-1/2 cups all-purpose white flour

Knead on low speed with the dough hook.

Stop and push down down if it moves up over the top of the hook.

Dough will be sticky but resist adding more flour, continue to mix.

Dough should become smooth and pull away from the sides of the bowl in 5-15 minutes.

While dough is kneading, combine in a bowl:

• 2 cups raisins mixed with 3 tsp flour
• 1 Tbsp white granulated sugar
• 1 Tbsp cinnamon

Add to kneaded dough and continue to knead (in stand mixer with dough hook or in bowl with floured hands if stand mixer seems overwhelmed) until mixed in.

Divide dough in two and shape into two loaves.

Press into two greased loaf pans.

Place in barely warm oven (heat turned off, oven light on).

Let rise 40 minutes or until doubled in bulk.

Leave loaves in oven but turn on heat to 350 degrees F.

Bake 30-40 minutes or until digital thermometer inserted into center of  loaf reaches 200 degrees F.

Remove baked loaves from oven and then from pans.

Put loaves on wire rack to cool.

Brush lightly with butter.

Cool before slicing.