Several people have written and asked for a good whole-wheat bread recipe. I try new recipes often, but this is the one I’ve been using lately. I like it because I can soak the flour overnight before baking, so that the phytic acid and enzyme inhibitors in the wheat are neutralized. (Click here to learn why this is so important.)
Another great thing about this recipe is that you could put it in a bread machine, if you have one. Simply soak your flour and milk in a bowl on your counter overnight, then put all the ingredients into your bread machine the next morning.
Soaked Whole Wheat Bread
Yield: 1 two-pound loaf
2 cups raw milk
5 cups freshly ground whole wheat flour
In a bowl, mix flour and milk with a wooden spoon until stiff dough forms. Cover with a towel and set in a warm spot overnight (12-24 hours).
Add flour and milk mixture to your Bosch mixer. Add the following ingredients:
3 tablespoons honey or sugar
2 teaspoons salt
4 tablespoons wheat gluten
4 tablespoons melted butter or olive oil
2 teaspoons yeast
From here, proceed as normal with any bread recipe, mixing all the ingredients until the gluten is well formed. Let your dough rise somewhere warm until doubled, then shape. Let rise for another 30 minutes, then bake at 425 degrees for about 30 minutes.
I would like to try this, but cant get raw milk where I live. Would it be to my advantage to do this recipe with store bought milk and flour?
Hi, Betsy! Yes, I think you could just as easily use store-bought flour. I wouldn’t bother with the milk. Just substitute water and some sort of acidic medium (to help neutralize all the bad stuff), such as yogurt, lemon juice, buttermilk, etc. I think a spoonful of yogurt would do the trick.
Hugs,
~Anne
Is the wheat gluten a required ingredient? THanks!
I don’t know, Becky. I’m wondering if it could just be allowed to knead longer, or rise longer, to develop the gluten in the bread. Let me experiment this week. I’d like to eliminate it, to be honest!
What is a Bosch mixer? Do you have to use one to prepare this?
Where you able to eliminate the wheat gluten? I cannot find it where I live.
Yes, Carla, thank you for reminding me! I have NOT been using the wheat gluten, and it seems to be working fine. I am careful to make sure I knead it well. Seems to taste fine.
Tammy, a Bosch mixer is just a very heavy-duty mixer. I have several friends who use a Kitchen Aid mixer the same way. And for thousands of years, many women just kneaded their bread well by hand. So any equipment you have (or not!) is fine.
Thanks for your patience with me, everyone! Sometimes I get a little behind on comments…
~Anne
Anne, is it possible to make a whole-wheat bread without adding sugar or honey? I’m looking for a sugar-free wheat bread and having a hard time finding one.
Yes, Barb! The sugar is only added to help the yeast work. An alternative is to just allow your bread to “proof” a little longer, to give the yeast time to work to “digest” the natural sugars in the flour. The faster you need the dough, the more sugar you need to add. If you’ve got a little extra time, try experimenting with letting the dough take longer to rise, or punch it down a couple extra times. A warm kitchen helps.
I like making bread, but I’m not the best baker in the world. Check out some of the bread-making websites at http://anneshealthplace.com/blog/recipes/ Look especially for sour-dough how-to sites, because they are usually great at explaining things and giving good technique ideas.
I hope this helps!
~Anne