Whole Wheat Bread Baking — Picture Tutorial

Last updated: 9-18-06

by Wardee Harmon

Ahh… the aroma of fresh-out-of-the-oven, mouth-watering, whole wheat bread. Not another smell in the world has the same effect on my family. We follow an informal rule that from every fresh batch, one loaf must be consumed right away. Of all the changes we’ve made in the last 4 years to eat more healthily, my family most appreciates and enjoys the shift to homemade whole grain breads.

Did you know bread dough has a personality that varies from day to day, or season to season? Its character depends on the humidity, the weather, the warmth of the kitchen, or the temperature of the ingredients. This changeability can make bread baking challenging, but not impossible. I am thankful for my bread-baking friends who helped me learn to adjust to these factors and still turn out scrumptious whole grain bread.

This tutorial is a basic guide, a starting place, for you to develop your bread baking skills. It follows the recipe for Whole Wheat Bread. Other equipment, such as other brands of grain grinders or mixers, can be used. The bread-making method will be much the same, with the exception of adjustments made for operation of the alternative equipment.

If you ever have questions, comments or suggestions, please don’t hesitate to ask. You can write to me at wardeh@christianhomekeeper.org.

Equipment

• Vita-Mix with dry container — to grind the flours
• KitchenAid Professional 6-Quart Mixer — for the kneading
• 2 or 3 stainless steel bread loaf pans
• 4-cup measuring cup
• measuring cups and spoons
• plastic or wooden spoon
• plastic wrap

Ingredients

• 6 cups hard white wheat berries
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon SAF yeast
• 4 cups filtered water (not all of it will be used)
• 1/3 cup vital wheat gluten
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon raw agave syrup or raw honey
• 2 teaspoons sea salt
• 1/4 cup poppy seeds
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• olive oil spray or additional extra virgin olive oil

1. Grind Whole Grains into Flour

To ensure having enough flour for the Whole Wheat Bread, grind a total of 6 cups of hard white wheat berries. Store in gallon-size freezer bags.

You will end up with a little remaining flour. Store in the freezer in labeled, sealed freezer bags to use throughout the week for making muffins, pancakes, cookies or other baked goods. Or freeze it for the next time you bake bread — but bring it to room temperature prior to using it.

Put 2 cups of grains at a time in the Vita-Mix dry container.

Grind the wheat berries for 1 minute and 15 to 20 seconds on HIGH.

Transfer flour to a labeled gallon-size freezer bag. Repeat until all grain has been ground into flour.

2. Make the Sponge

Put 3-1/3 cups of whole wheat flour and 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon SAF yeast in the mixer bowl.Fill a 4-cup measuring cup with 2 cups cold filtered water. Bring about 2 cups filtered water barely to a boil in a pot on the stove. Add 2/3 cup of that to the 4-cup measuring cup and give it a stir.

Pour the now warm water into the mixing bowl with the flour and yeast.

Stir with a wooden or plastic spoon until it is a thick batter.

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set it in a warm place to rise until it is pretty big and bubbly. This should take 15 to 30 minutes, depending on the temperature of the kitchen.


When it is big and bubbly, take off the plastic wrap, put the bowl into the mixer base, and add the dough hook. Raise the bowl and turn mixer on to “Stir” speed for a few seconds to punch down the dough.

3. Knead the Dough


Add 1-1/3 cup whole wheat flour, 1/3 cup vital wheat gluten, 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon honey or agave, 2 teaspoons sea salt, 1/4 cup poppy seeds and 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil to the mixing bowl.

Start kneading on “Stir” speed. When mixture looks barely incorporated and while mixer is still kneading, add 1 cup more whole wheat flour, 1/2 cup at a time. Dough should be pulling away from the sides of the bowl.

About now, or when mixer sounds like it is working hard, increase speed to Speed 2 (dough setting). Add 1 to 1-1/2 cups more whole wheat flour, 1/2 cup at a time.While mixer is kneading and keeping fingers clear of the hook, feel dough. If it is sticky or feels wet, add more whole wheat flour as needed, 1/4 cup at a time. The dough should be springy, but not sticky, and the sides of the bowl pretty clean.

Let it knead for up to 5 minutes longer, or until dough is wrapped around the hook and the hook cannot rotate any longer (it will still be going around the bowl, but not spinning itself).

Turn off the mixer immediately, or you may damage the mixer’s gears. Lower the mixing bowl, release the dough hook from the mixer, pull the mixing bowl out of the mixer base and then pull the dough hook out of the dough.

4. Prepare Warm Oven for First Rise

Move racks of oven to bottom rungs, so that during the First Rise (step 5), the mixing bowl will fit with a few inches of clear space above the bowl. Turn oven on to 400 degrees for 5 minutes. Go on to step 5 while you wait for the 5 minutes to finish. After oven has been on for 5 minutes, turn it off. Open the oven door to let most of the heat escape, until it is warm and cozy, but not uncomfortably hot. Close oven door.

5. Put Dough in Warm Oven for First Rise

While lifting the dough up with one hand, use other hand to spray the base and sides of the bowl with olive oil spray. Rotate the dough around to coat the entire surface of the dough with oil and to make sure the entire surface of the bowl is coated.

Cover bowl with plastic wrap and put it in the gently warm oven for about 30 minutes to an hour, or until it is doubled in size.

It will be swelled to fill the bowl and have risen to the top. Take bowl out of oven and remove plastic wrap. Close oven to retain warmth for Second Rise.

6. Shape Loaves for Second Rise in Warm Oven

Spray 2 large bread loaf pans (for large loaves) or 3 regular bread loaf pans (for regular size loaves) with olive oil spray.

Spray a clean countertop with olive oil spray.

Turn dough out onto the clean and oiled work surface. Punch down dough gently.

Separate the dough into 2 equal parts (for large loaves) or 3 equal parts (for regular loaves).

Shape each portion into a tube shape that is about 7 inches long and 3 inches wide and 2 inches tall (large loaf dimensions). These are the loaves. See Shaping Whole Wheat Bread Loaves for more information.

Put each loaf into a prepared loaf pan. Cut into each loaf 3 times diagonally along the top, about 1/4 inch deep, with a serrated knife.

Place the loaves in the oven and close the oven door.

Let rise for about 30 minutes to an hour, or until the loaves have swelled to fill the pans and come up over the top about a half inch to an inch.

7. Bake Loaves

While loaves are still inside the oven, turn it on to 350 degrees.

Bake loaves for 30 to 35 minutes, until golden brown. The loaves will sound hollow when tapped.

Remove pans from oven and turn off oven. Take loaves out of the pans and let cool on a rack. When they are cooled, put each loaf in a bread bag and secure with a twist tie. Leave 1 loaf out for immediate use and freeze the other(s). Remove frozen loaves from the freezer 4 to 8 hours before needed.

© Copyright 2006 by Wardee Harmon. Used with permission from the author.