Bread!

Ok, here it is, what you've all been waiting for, da, dadada, da da daaaaa...I have perfected a homemade sandwich loaf! No trans fats, no preservatives, no high fructose corn syrup. Just fresh from the oven (well, weekly at least) homemade goodness. I'm sure there are those that have done this before me, but I feel like I can honestly call this recipe all my own. I must credit the original recipe that I started with. You can find it here. I made several changes to suit my own tastes and relied heavily on input from reviewers on the original site. I've found that this bread lasts at least a week in a plastic bag and holds together perfectly as a sandwich. Without further ado...

(Pic to come!)

Honey Whole Wheat Sandwich Bread

Makes 2 loaves

Start with:

2 ½ c. water, 110 degrees Fahrenheit

3 teaspoons active dry yeast

¼ c. honey
3 c. white or regular whole wheat flour 

Mix with paddle mixer or wood spoon until well blended and let sit for 20-30 minutes until puffy

Add:

2 Tablespoons melted butter or olive oil
1/8 c. additional honey or molasses

2 teaspoons salt

2 Tablespoons vital wheat gluten 

Additional unbleached bread flour until dough cleans sides of mixer (approximately 2 1/2 cups).

Knead 8-10 minutes on low until the dough is smooth. Or knead by hand. (I like to finish 1-2 minutes by hand after my mixer has done it's job.)

At the end, if desired, add about 1/2-1 cup total steel cut oats, milled flax, chopped sunflower and/or chopped walnuts, millet, etc. Knead just until mixed. Place in a large, lightly greased bowl, cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let rise about an hour, until the dough has approximately doubled. 

Punch down. Divide with a sharp knife and shape into loaves. Place the loaves in greased pans, cover again with plastic wrap and let rise until it tops the pan by 1”. (I generally remove the plastic toward the end for about the last 15 minutes to allow the dough to really poof.)

Bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes. Rub tops with a stick of butter while still hot and remove from the pan as soon as it's cool enough to handle. 

Note: If adding seeds, I recommend kneading by hand after adding them. I almost burned up my mixer because the dough became too heavy.

Note 2: Vital wheat gluten is what makes this a perfect sandwich bread. It helps the heavy whole wheat rise better and gives it that soft texture that helps it hold together for sandwiches. It can be reduced or omitted for a slightly hardier loaf.

Note 3: Although NOT slicing the entire loaf before storing can help it last a little longer, I find it's just so much easier to have it sliced and in the pantry ready to use. So I slice it up and store it in a gallon size Ziplock. Works perfectly for us. :)