Whole Wheat Bread

By norsegal8

There's just enough honey and malt in this recipe to bring out the natural sweetness of the loaf's whole wheat flour. A tall crowned loaf with some chew and stretch in the crumb, this bread has the flavor and heft to stand up to strong cheeses and spicy cold cuts, making it first-class sandwich fare.

Ingredients

• 2 1/4 cups warm water (105°F to 115°F)
• 1 tablespoon active dry yeast
• 1/4 cup honey
• 3 1/2 to 3 2/3 cups bread flour or unbleached all-purpose flour
• 3 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 1 tablespoon malt extract
• 1 tablespoon salt

Details

Servings 2

Preparation

Step 1

MIXING AND KNEADING Pour ½ cup of the water into the bowl of a heavy-duty mixer fitted with a dough hook and add the yeast and honey. Whisk to blend and allow the mixture to rest until the yeast is creamy, about 5 minutes.
Combine 3 ½ cups of the bread flour and the whole wheat flour and keep close at hand.
Working in the mixer with the dough hook in place, add the remaining1 ¾ cups water, the oil, the malt extract and about half of the flour mixture to the yeast. Turn the mixture on and off a few times just to get the dough going without having the flour fly all over the counter and then, mixing on low speed, add the rest of the combined flours. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat, stopping to scrape down the bowl and hook as needed, until the dough comes together. (If the dough does not come together, add up to 2 tablespoons more white flour.) Add the salt and continue to beat and knead at medium speed for about 10 minutes, until the dough is smooth and elastic. If you prefer, you can mix the dough in the mixer for half that time and knead it by hand on a lightly floured surface for 8 to 10 minutes. As with many whole wheat doughs, this one will be a tad sticky even after proper and sufficient kneading.

FIRST RISE Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and shape into a ball. Place it on a large buttered or oiled bowl (one big enough to hold double the amount of dough). Turn the dough around to cover its entire surface with butter or oil, cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap, and let the dough rest at room temperature until it doubles in bulk, about 1 ½ hours.

SHAPING THE DOUGH Butter 2 8 ½- by 4 ½-inch loaf pans and set them aside.
Deflate the dough and turn it out onto a lightly floured work surface. Divide the dough in half, and, using the palms of your hands and your fingertips, or a rolling pin, pat each half into a rectangle about 9 inches wide and 12 inches long, with a short side facing you. Starting at the top, fold the dough about 2/3 of the way down the rectangle, then fold again so that the top edge meets the bottom edge; seal the seams by pinching it. Turn each roll so that the seam is in the center of the roll, facing up, and turn the ends of each roll in just enough so that the rolls fit into the loaf pans. Pinch these seams to seal, turn the loaves over so that the seams are on the bottom, and plump the loaves with your hands to get an even shape.

SECOND RISE Drop the loaves into the buttered pans, seam side down, cover with oiled plastic wrap and allow them to rise at room temperature until they double in size again, growing over the tops of the pans, about 1 hour.
While the loaves rise, center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 375°F.

BAKING THE BREAD When the breads are fully risen (poke your finger into a loaf; the impression should remain), bake for about 35 minutes, or until they are golden and an instant-read thermometer plunged into the center of the bread (turn a loaf out and put the thermometer in the bottom of the loaf) measures 200°F. (If you like, 10 minutes or so before you think the loaves are done, you can turn the loaves out of the pans and let them bake on the oven rack so that they brown on the sides.) Remove the loaves from the pans as soon as they come out of the oven and cool the breads on racks. These should not be cut until they are almost completely cool.

STORING Once completely cool, the breads can be kept in a brown paper bag for a day or two. Once a loaf is sliced, turn it cut side down on the counter or a cutting board and cover with a kitchen towel. For longer storage, wrap the breads airtight and freeze for up to a month. Thaw, still wrapped at room temperature.