Whole-Wheat Bread
Makes 2 lbs of bread, Preparation Time at least 3 hours
There is nothing better than the smell of bread baking in the oven. Our whole-wheat bread was very simple when we first started making it. It included whole-wheat flour, salt, water, and yeast. This created a hardy and dense bread. Over time, we have made modifications like adding ground flaxseed. Flaxseed raises the nutritional value of bread by adding omega-3’s, beneficial lignans, and soluble fibre. We add semolina and gluten flour to help the dough rise better. Adding sugar gives the yeast a good kick-start. Lastly, adding lemon juice or vinegar conditions the whole-wheat flour making the loaf taste better.
We recommend you try making your own whole-wheat bread. It is a lot of fun.
- 3 cups whole-wheat flour, plus extra for dusting
- 2 cups of water, with an additional quarter cup of water held in reserve to moisten the dough if it seems too dry
- ½ cup of semolina
- ¼ cup gluten flour
- ¼ cup ground flax seed
- 2 tablespoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon active dry yeast
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- In a small bowl, combine yeast, 1½ cups of water, apple cider vinegar and sugar. Let sit for five minutes to create an active yeast culture.
- In a stand mixer or a large bowl, combine the whole-wheat flour, semolina, gluten flour, ground flaxseed, salt and any other remaining dry ingredients you may wish to add.
- Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and add yeast culture.
- Stir using the paddle attachment or a spoon until the dough just comes together. Leave the dough without stirring in the bowl for 10 minutes, giving the dough time to 'relax'.
- Knead, either in a stand mixer fixed with the dough hook or by hand, for about 5 minutes.
- Let the dough relax for 10 minutes, and knead the dough again.
- Shape the dough into a ball, place it in a bowl and cover it with plastic wrap or a damp cloth. Allow the dough to rise until it has doubled, about 40 minutes to 1 hour. If you have a warm place for the dough, it will rise faster.
- Punch down risen dough, and shape the dough into its final loaf shape or shapes, such as a large round shape, or French stick shape, or cut the dough and shape it into small buns, or baguette bread
- Place the formed dough loaves on your baking trays or pans, ensuring there is enough extra space to account for the doubling of the dough as it rises. Place the dough in a warm place and let the dough rest for at least 1 to 1½ hours, or until the dough has doubled in size.
- Preheat oven to 460 degrees Fahrenheit (ca. 238 degree Celsius) (°F). Place the finished dough in the oven and bake it for three minutes. Drop the oven temperature to 375 °F (ca. 191 degree Celsius). Cook for 40 to 60 minutes, or until the bread looks cooked. Allow for more time if you are making one large loaf, and reduce the time for smaller loaves, where small buns may be done in half the time.
If you have a bread maker, it's a great cheat! Load the ingredients and press the dough setting, and it will do the punch and rest cycles for you.
If you do not have a good non-stick cooking tray, line the dish with parchment paper.
You may wish to add dry or fresh herbs along with the dry ingredients to “spice” up your loaves.
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