How to make whole wheat bread even your kids will eat

Fasten your seatbelts, because this is gonna be a long entry.  With lots of pictures.  LOTS.  The procedure for making bread is actually pretty easy, especially if you have a good mixer with a dough hook to do all the hard work.  But there are lots of little techniques that are easiest to learn if they’re demonstrated, and the best way I can think of to do that is through pictures.  Actually, a video would probably be better, except here’s what I’ve learned:  I don’t like to watch demonstration videos.  They go too slow for me, showing me stuff I don’t care about, and taking too long to get to the part I want to see.  Or else they go too fast, and I have to keep rewinding (old school — I guess we don’t rewind when it’s digital, do we?  I have no idea what else to call it, though) to watch it over again. 

So.  Pictures it is. 

I’ll be using a Bosch mixer.  A Kitchenaid will work as well, as long as it has a dough hook.  This recipe makes four large loaves, but you can easily cut it in half if you have a smaller mixer or just don’t want that much bread hanging around.  I figure if I’m taking the time and making the mess, I might as well make the full recipe and freeze the extra bread for later.   Tie on that apron, and let’s get started!

Not sure what a dough hook is?  It’s this nifty tool right here: 

It will actually knead your dough for you, and quite efficiently, I might add.   

 Just slide it right on to the post. 

Now measure 6 cups of warm water.  Not hot, just tepid.  Hot enough to activate the yeast, but not hot enough to kill it.  If it burns your hand, it’s too hot. 

Pour the water into the mixing bowl. 

Now measure 2/3 cup oil and pour it in the bowl.  I use canola, but I’ve also made it with olive oil, and it tasted okay.  But really, olive oil isn’t meant for baked goods.  Go with your best heart-healthy option. 

Now measure 2/3 cup honey.  Here’s a nifty trick:  use the same measuring cup you used for the oil.  And make sure you measure the oil first, then the honey.  You’ll see why in a minute. 

Pour the honey into the bowl.  Mmmm, doesn’t it look luscious?  If your honey is older and has started to crystallize, it’s still perfectly good.  You can heat it to liquify it again, or you can just measure it out in its solid form.  I’ve made bread many times with crystallized honey, and it  made no difference in the finished product.  Still yummy. 

And now you see why we measured the oil first.  That gooey, sticky honey just slides right out of the measuring cup.  Easy cleanup.  Nice!

 Now add 5 cups of whole wheat flour.  Mine is freshly ground, and smells divine.  You can buy whole wheat flour at the store, but if you’re interested in learning to grind your own (it’s easy!), I’ll show you how HERE.

Just put it right in the bowl.  No need to sift.

 Time for the yeast.  This recipe uses instant yeast.  I love it because it stores well (keep it in the fridge, and unopened bags in the freezer) and it’s very, very easy to use. 

 Measure 3 tablespoons…

 …and put them in the bowl.  That’s it.  No proofing.  (Proofing is the process you use for regular active dry yeast, which involves dissolving it in water and sprinkling it with some sugar to feast on, letting it foam up, then adding it to the other ingredients.  Instant yeast eliminates that step).

 Now put the lid on the mixer.  Seriously, you do not want to miss this step.  All that flour is just aching to fly into your hair.  Don’t give it the satisfaction.

 Turn on the mixer just long enough to combine all the ingredients.  It will be liquidy and lumpy, like this.  Put the lid back on, and let the dough sit for 30 minutes.  This will sponge the dough (letting the yeast do its job).  When 30 minutes is up, take the lid off the mixer.  If the dough looks like this:

 then you did it right.  Notice that it has risen in the bowl, and is full of air bubbles.  Those are the yeastie beasties hard at work.  That’s what will make your bread light and fluffy.  And with whole wheat, that’s especially important, because it tends to be heavy.

 Now you can add 2 tablespoons salt.  Just regular table salt is fine.

 If you’d like, you can also add 2 tablespoons dough enhancer.  This is optional.  I’ve made it both ways, and when I use the dough enhancer, it does make the bread softer.  But if you don’t have any, no worries.  It turns out fine without it, too.  Just crustier and less fluffy.

In goes the dough enhancer.  It contains things like soy lecithin, whey, and yeast.  I never use it with white bread, but sometimes whole wheat needs a little help.

Now add some more flour.  This is where it gets a little tricky, because I can’t give you an exact measurement.  Every batch of bread dough is different.  I always start on the low end, then add more as I need it.  Right now, I’m adding five more cups of flour (so that’s a total of 10 so far in this recipe). 

 After mixing it in (don’t forget the lid!), the dough is still very liquidy.  I knew it would be.  I’m adding three more cups.

Now we’re getting closer.  See how it’s coming together?  But it’s still quite wet, and the sides of the bowl aren’t clean.  I’m adding one more cup of flour.  That brings us to 14 cups so far. 

Now the dough is looking better.  It still feels like it needs more flour.  I’m adding a half-cup.   

 Aha!  See how it’s starting to clean the sides of the bowl?

 And the texture feels right, too.  This is such a hard part to explain, because so much of it is done by feel, and I just can’t convey the right texture over the internet.  It will be quite sticky, but not sticking to the sides of the bowl.  Time to knead!  I just use the 1st speed on my Bosch.  I don’t want to overwork the dough and make it tough.

 After 5 minutes of kneading, check the dough.  This looks really good.  It’s holding together well, and the sides of the bowl are very clean. 

 Now the touch test:  when I pull a blob of dough out of the bowl, it stretches instead of breaking, and I can see long lines in the texture.  That’s the gluten, and it’s exactly what we want to see.  If the gluten isn’t developed, the bread won’t work.

 Prepare your loaf pans.  When I was growing up, this meant taking a piece of paper towel and rubbing shortening all over the pan.  I’m happy to report that I’ve graduated to nonstick spray.  Make sure to get the bottoms and the sides.  You’ll need four pans.

 Take the mixing bowl off the mixer stand, and remove the dough hook.  Notice how the dough is hanging off the hook in sheets?  That’s exactly what it’s supposed to do.

Turn the dough onto your (clean) counter, or pastry board, or whatever floats your boat.  Now, things are about to get controversial.  Many people will tell you to use oil on your hands to prevent sticking.  I have tried this.  I don’t like it.  End of story.  If you want to give it a try, go for it.  Maybe you’ll like the greased-pig feeling.  Me, I use flour.  The same whole-wheat stuff I used for the bread.  I put a little on the board, and use a little on my hands, and it’s all good.  But if you use flour, do so sparingly.  Too much flour added to the dough now will make it tough and dry.  I use just enough to make it manageable.  And the truth is, I use slightly less in the mixer to compensate for this.  If you’re using oil, you might want to add a little more flour in the mixer.  It all comes down to texture and consistency.   

When you’ve got the dough all happy and round, cut it into four equal parts.  I use this handy dandy scraper/cutter thingamabob, but a knife works, too.  Or you can just pull it apart, but it’s pretty uncooperative, so I recommend cutting it.  You do NOT need to knead the dough.  All the kneading was done in the mixer.   

 Now we’re going to form the loaves.  Start by pressing one section out flat, into a sort of oblong.  If there are air bubbles, press them out.  Sadly, whole wheat doesn’t get nearly as much air, so you won’t get the fun of hearing all the bubbles pop.  If you ever make this with white flour, then this step is critical.  There will be lots of air.  And squishing it out is FUN!

Now begin rolling the dough, starting at one end of the oblong.  Roll it somewhat tightly, to avoid more air bubbles. 

 When you finish rolling, pinch the dough together to seal the seam.  Raise one finger elegantly as you do this.  There’s never an excuse for bad etiquette.

 Now karate chop one end of the roll, just enough to make a nice dent.  You can shout “Ki-yah!” if the moment moves you.

 Now fold up the end along that dent.  We want a nice rounded heel on our loaf.

Pinch that seam together, too.  Seriously, what is up with my finger?!  I never noticed I did that until I saw these pictures.  It’s like my own personal dough hook. 

 Now do the same thing on the other end of the roll.

 Pinch it together.  Just to let it know it isn’t dreaming.

 Flip the loaf over and roll it back and forth a few times to even out the seams.  Carefully pick it up and gently lay it in one of the loaf pans, seam side down.

Repeat with the other three sections of dough, and you end up with four lovely loaves, unsuspecting of their eventual fate.  Set them somewhere safe and warm to rise.   

Get a cloth and soak it with warm water.  Wring it well.  I use a tea towel, because it’s the perfect size and texture.  Don’t use an ordinary terry kitchen towel, because you know those little fuzzy nubbies are gonna end up in your bread.  Blech. 

Drape the cloth over your loaf pans.  Tuck them in, kiss them goodnight, and check back in 30 minutes.   Preheat your oven to 350 degrees while the bread is raising.

 At the end of the half hour, the loaves should look like they’ve suddenly hit puberty.  Awwww.  They grow up so fast.

 Peek under the towel.  Nice and smooth, rounded, they’re ready to go.

 Place them in the oven with the rack below the middle spot.  Try to leave some room between the pans.  Wow, that’s a crooked picture. 

 Set the timer for 30 minutes.  Tie on your drool bib, because in about 15 minutes, the smell of baking bread is going to permeate every corner of your home.

When the timer rings, pull out the bread.  The round, golden, mouth-watering bread. 

 Turn the loaves onto a cooling rack.  If you leave them in the pans, they will get soggy.  Nobody likes wet bread.

 Pick out the prettiest loaf and take it to your new neighbor.  You can brush the tops with melted butter for softer crust and extra flavor.  I usually don’t.  That’s so I’ll feel less guilty about the following steps:

 Now slice the bread with a serrated bread knife.

Quick, while it’s still warm, smear some butter on it. 

Then drizzle it with honey.  Yes, this is a necessary part of the bread-making process.  Quality control, you know.  You wouldn’t want to serve it without making sure it tastes heavenly.  And oh yes, it does.  Divine.

To recap, you will need: 

6 cups warm water

2/3 c oil

2/3 c honey

14 – 16 cups of whole wheat flour

3 Tbsp instant yeast

2 Tbsp salt

2 Tbsp dough enhancer (optional)

Nonstick spray

Four loaf pans

Oven preheated to 350*

Cooling rack

Hearty appetite

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