Spring is about freshness, fragrances, colours, liveliness, beauty, vitality and fertility.
Sunny
days beckon me to bake a bread. A healthy wholegrain loaf is in the final
stages of proofing. The loaf goes into the preheated oven and few minutes later
heavenly aroma wafts through! The bread is done.
Whole Wheat Sandwich Bread
Recipe source- www.kingarthurflour.com
Ingredients
- 3 ½ cups whole wheat flour
- ¼ cup milk powder
- 1 ¼ teaspoons salt
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- ¼ cup honey
- 2 ½ teaspoons instant dry yeast
- 1 ¼ cup to 1 ½ cup warm water (you will require a greater quantity of water in winter or in a dry climate and less quantity in summer or a humid climate)
Instructions
- Whisk together first three ingredients. Add oil and mix well.
- Take 1 ¼ cup of warm water. Add honey. Stir. Add yeast and stir well.
- Take dry ingredients in a kneading plate. Add water and mix till you get a shaggy dough. Knead for 3 to 4 minutes. Cover and let the dough rest for 5 to 6 minutes. It will be easier to handle now. Add more water and keep kneading using the heel of the hand to push the dough forward and then collecting with fingers pulling it in. Keep kneading till the dough becomes smooth and supple by adding more water if needed.
- Dough
should be quite soft. Keep adding water to the point you
can handle the dough. The stickier/softer your dough, the higher it’ll rise.
- Transfer dough to a greased bowl. Turn the dough around so that it is evenly coated with oil.
- Allow the dough to rise in a warm place till double – about 1 to 2 hours.
- Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled work surface, and shape it into an 8-inch log. Place the log in a lightly greased 8 ½ x 4 ½ inch greased bread pan dusted with cornmeal or whole wheat flour. Cover the pan loosely with lightly greased plastic wrap.
- Allow the bread to rise for about 1 to 2 hours, or till the center has crowned about 1 inch above the rim of the pan.
- Towards the end of the rising time, preheat the oven to 180 degrees C. Bake the bread for 25 minutes or till the top turns golden brown and the bottom of the pan sounds hollow when tapped.
- Cool in the rack. Slice when cold or the next day.
Thanks for the recipe. I read your post in one of the forums you posted. I remember you said, the milk powder is optional. Should it be replaced or omitted?
ReplyDeleteHello Anjana, you may omit milk powder.
DeleteHii if using active dry yeast,then what should be the quantity?thanks
ReplyDeleteHello, If you are using active dry yeast, use same quantity. Check out the time in which the dough doubles. It may vary. Hope you come out with a lovely loaf. Happy Bread Baking!
DeleteHi Namita...I have tried many bread recipes of others but not happy with the results of any.In all recipes I have used active dry yeast.Does instant dry yeast give better rise to bread?If yes, then can you provide the brand name aswell.TIA
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteHello , Bread baking does give heart aches in the beginning. Do not get upset. Keep trying. I would definitely suggest that you try Instant dry yeast. It does give better results. Ans yes, please check out these links. You'll understand the nuances better. And the more you bake, the better you will be in this craft. Hope to hear from you soon.....
Deletehttp://www.thefreshloaf.com/lessons
http://www.breadexperience.com/bread-making.html
Hey Namita, will it give the same results if I use our normal atta instead of whole wheat flour? Can you tell me what brand do you use?
ReplyDeleteHello Deepika, This is an atta bread. I use Aashirwad brand. You may use atta of any brand Deepika.
Deletehey namita,
ReplyDeleteI would like to know in monsoon, when there is not enough heat in climate? how the the proofing would be done? I mean even in rainy seasons ?
Hello, happy to help you. If the the weather is cold, dough will take longer to proof. So wait till the dough doubles. In case if you want to speed up the process, heat your oven to 150 degrees C and turn it off. Place your dough in the middle rack. Dough will rise faster.
DeleteI Tried this yesterday as I wanted to bake a 100% atta bread at home and this was my very first attempt. I Must say that the taste was awesome and so fresh! But to my dismay it did not rise as in a dome shape but had risen and spread!!
ReplyDeleteYou say keep adding water till the point you can handle it. Does it mean water quantity can go beyond 1 and 1/2 cup? I Just couldn't knead it well as it was way too sticky!! Can you help..
Hello Swetta, Firstly, congratulations! you baked for the first time and loved the taste. I am sure you'll get addicted to baking breads at home soon.
Deleteswetta, it takes a while to understand your dough and the intricacies of kneading, shaping and baking. Practices definitely helps. Could you roll your dough into a cylinder for final rise? I feel it must have been a little sticky and did not retain shape. Add water till it becomes really soft and supple. It should not lose shape. Here are some links that will help you in shaping a loaf-
http://www.thefreshloaf.com/lessons
http://www.kingarthurflour.com/videos/bread-101-basic-white-bread-shaping-and-baking-the-loaf
http://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/30405/shaping-sandwich-loaf-illustration
After many not so successfull attempt at baking 100%whole wheat bread, want to give this a try. What can replace honey with? Is the loaf dense?
ReplyDeleteHello Chaitra, I have my own mantras for whole wheat bread. Start with flour like Aashirvad select atta. it is slightly fine textured. Knead and keep adding water. When you reach a stage where dough becomes sticky, cover and let it rest for 10 minutes. It will become manageable. Keep adding water as long as dough absorbs it. Yes, you may replace homey with brown sugar or normal sugar. Disslove it in water. Whole wheat bread is dense and crumbly. Why not try 50% atta and 50% whole wheat flour?
DeleteHi Namita...Am really interested in trying out the WW recipe. Just wanted to know the difference between Atta and Whole Wheat Flour (WWF)? I intend to use Ashirwad Select...But is that Atta or WWF? If WWF, then what do I use for Atta?
ReplyDeleteRegds,
GC
woww..This blog makes me mouth watering...i love bread and which is my all time favorite...I will try this recipe tomorrow..I think the healthy Whole Wheat Atta will results this recipe a grand success..
ReplyDeleteChopped walnuts, pecans, cashew and almonds give the bread a distinct taste that anyone would definitely love. bread machine recipes
ReplyDeleteHello Namita !! I tried this bread recipe yesterday and to my surprise it came out so good rised high.Thanks for sharing your wonderful recipes.
ReplyDeleteThanks Alpana
Hello Alpana, I am so happy that your bread came out well. Hope you bake many more breads and keep sharing your experience :)
DeleteIf we omit the milk powder do we need to add more wwf or no changes to be made just omit?
ReplyDeleteNo need to add more flour Archana.Just omit the milk powder. Milk powder gives a sweet taste to the bread.
DeleteDont we need to give it a milk wash before we put for baking or a butter wash after it is baked?
ReplyDeleteArchana, milk wash is given before baking. Butter is applied after removing the bread from the oven when baked. It makes the crust soft.
DeleteShould bread be baked at 180℃ or 200℃?Could you please clarify. Some say this and some say that. So it is very confusing.
ReplyDeleteCan you please explain the difference between atta and whole wheat flour. Are rhey nit the same. I read in a blog which suggests to use chakki ka atta and not the packaged one. Pl throw light on this. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteHello Shaila, Atta and whole wheat flour is the same. If you can get atta from your local chakki, it would be really good to bake bread. As, chakki atta would be fresh as compared to the packaged one.
DeleteI recommend that you use fine whole wheat flour to bake bread.