Back when I could eat wheat, this was my favorite homemade whole wheat bread recipe! You can use all whole wheat flour, or you can substitute 1 cup of white flour for one of the cups of wheat flour. This recipe always turned out great for me!
Homemade Whole Wheat Bread
Ingredients:
1 package of rapid rise yeast, or 2 1/4 tsp. of yeast
1 teaspoon white sugar
1/2 cup warm water (100 degrees F)
1 can of evaporated milk (12 oz.)
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup brown sugar or honey (or you could use Stevia if you know the right conversion ratio)
2 tsp. salt
2 cups whole wheat flour
2 more cups whole wheat flour (see the directions) + 1 cup of white flour OR 3 cups of whole wheat flour
*If you use ALL whole wheat flour then you’ll want to add DOUGH ENHANCER (Vital Wheat Gluten) – follow the instructions on the dough enhancer that you buy to see how much to add.
Directions:
1. Dissolve the yeast and 1 tsp. of sugar in the 1/2 cup of warm water. Make sure that the yeast starts to foam. If it does not foam within 5-10 minutes, then throw it out and try again. Make sure that the water is not TOO hot.
2. Combine the milk, 1/4 cup of water, butter, brown sugar or honey, salt, and the first two cups of whole wheat flour in a mixing bowl (I used a dough hook to mix it all). Mix in the yeast mixture and let it sit for 10-15 minutes.
3. Add the rest of the flour and let the dough hook do its job! 🙂 When you see that it is all sticking together and forming a clump that is going around the mixing bowl, let it keep going another few minutes.
4. Cover the mixing bowl with a damp towel or saran wrap and let rise until it has almost doubled in size. (This should take about 45 minutes).
5. Punch down the dough and divide it in half. Form each half into a loaf and put it in a buttered (or sprayed) 9×5 bread pan. Cover the pans again with a damp towel or saran wrap and let it rise one more time (about 30-45 minutes).
6. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Place a small pan of water on the bottom rack of the oven.
7. Bake your loaves for about 25 -35 minutes (I took mine out after 25 minutes and it was great) until the top of the loaves are golden brown.
8. ENJOY!! 🙂
And then to go with the homemade bread, try some homemade butter (it’s super easy to make too!) 🙂
I’m going to try to make it in the breadmaker on the dough cycle, then shape it and put it in the oven. The recipe sounds yummy! I LOVE homemade bread.
I’m going to try this using scalded, cooled milk instead of evaporated milk and water. We’ll see.
I love nuts and seeds in bread. Can they be added to this recipe? Any changes needed? Thanks for sharing!