This is a wonderful whole wheat bread recipe. It is a sponge dough that has an earthy tone and freezes beautifully.
Though the idea of a good breakfast to start the day doesn't elude me, I don't make it a point to have one. No matter how much or not much I ate the night before, there's an incompatibility going on between my body and my mind for the first hours after I wake up. I already wrote about this, when I posted the muesli with blueberries, but let's discuss it again, shall we? After all, it is the most important meal of the day.
I fully understand the concept of fueling your body to be able to perform better during the day, a very noble idea, though not necessarily in sync with my needs.
I need my coffee when I wake up. And then another coffee. That takes from one to two hours during which I can't think about actual food.
Oh, I'm sure I'm not alone here, right?
What is whole wheat flour?
It is a type of flour that results from grinding the wheat whole (as opposed to refined white where the husk is not ground with the rest).
Whole wheat flour has a higher fiber content and a more wholesome alternative to regular white bread flour.
I personally love this type of bread. I like to keep it frozen at all times, already sliced, so I can have freshly toasted bread whenever I feel like it.
So a balanced first meal, not to call it breakfast, does make the whole fuel-for-the-body idea a good one. You do need fuel, just try to get the premium kind, it will make you feel better.
This bread is my latest addition to my late breakfasts, which are also happening in an orderly fashion because I started going to my pilates classes again at noon, something that had been left behind the last three years - since I had decided to open a Café, which I closed three months ago for those who don't know - and stopped having a life.
Now, things are slowly returning to normal. A happy feeling.
Baking bread at home is such a wonderful experience, and it can completely change your perspective on it. This is my latest favorite whole wheat bread, and I hope it encourages you to bake more.
I love this bread toasted with homemade fig jam. I always made a regular jam with not much more than figs and sugar, but lately, I've been flavoring it with cinnamon and tequila.
About the fig jam
I love figs and especially when they are transformed into fig jam. This happens when they are slowly cooked with sugar and sometimes spices.
My mom makes a mean fig jam, slightly different from the one with tequila in the recipe here, and you can take a look at it in the post for Fig Jam Lattice Tart.
Other recipes you might like:
100% Whole Wheat Bread
Semolina Bread
Beer Bread Rolls
Mozzarella Pesto Naan Bread
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Whole Wheat Bread
Ingredients
For the sponge:
- ½ cup tap water
- ¼ cup yellow cornmeal
- ¾ cups boiling water
- 1 ¾ teaspoons dry yeast
- ¼ cup honey
- ¼ cup warm water, warm, at 105ºF to 115ºF
- 4 tablespoons dry milk powder
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- ¼ cup wheat bran, optional
For the dough:
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- ½ tablespoon salt
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds, ground
- 1 tablespoon flax seeds, ground
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- 2 cups bread flour, or all-purpose flour, estimated amount
- 3 tablespoons cornmeal, for rolling and sprinkling
Instructions
For the sponge:
- In the bowl of the stand mixer (or a large bowl if making the bread by hand), put ½ cup tap waterand ¼ cup yellow cornmeal. Whisk and let stand 5 minutes. Add ¾ cups boiling water, while whisking and let stand another 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, in a small bowl, sprinkle 1 ¾ teaspoons dry yeast over ¼ cup warm water with 1 teaspoon of the honey and stir to dissolve. Let stand a few minutes until foamy.
- To the cornmeal mixture, add the rest of the honey and 4 tablespoons dry milk powder, 1 cup whole wheat flour and ¼ cup wheat bran.
- Add the yeast mixture, stir well with a wooden spoon or spatula, cover with plastic wrap and let stand for about 1 hour until doubled and bubbly.
For the dough:
- Gently stir the sponge down with a wooden spoon or spatula.
- Attach the bowl to the stand mixer, and add 3 tablespoons olive oil, ½ tablespoon salt, 1 tablespoon sesame seeds, 1 tablespoon flax seeds and 1 cup whole wheat flour.
- Attach the dough hook and mix on low speed, adding 2 cups bread flour, ½ cup at a time. When you have added 1 ½ cups of bread or all-purpose flour, knead for a minute or two at medium-low speed.
- Continue adding bread flour by tablespoons until you have a soft dough that is still a bit sticky but just clears the sides of the bowl. It should not be batter-like but not stiff either. You might need ¼ to ½ cup more bread flour than stated in the recipe. The total kneading time should be about 5 to 7 minutes.
- Transfer dough to a greased bowl, turn to coat all sides, cover and let rise until doubled in a warm place, about 2 hours.
- Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface, it will be much less sticky. Divide the dough into two equal portions.
- Shape each one into as tight a ball as possible, and roll them in 3 tablespoons cornmeal (or wheat bran) to coat completely.
- Transfer to a cornmeal-sprinkled baking tray, cover with a clean kitchen towel and let rise until almost doubled, about 45 minutes to 1 hour. They won't double in size.
- Preheat oven to 400ºF (200ºC) about 20 minutes before you're going to bake the bread.
- When ready, bake the loaves in the center of the oven for 10 minutes.
- Decrease the temperature to 350ºF (180ºC) and continue baking for 25 to 35 minutes, until golden and bottoms sound hollowed when tapped with your fingers. Switch the position of the baking tray halfway through to ensure even baking.
- Transfer to wire racks to cool.
- The bread can be frozen (I slice it first), wrapped in foil or plastic, for at least a month.
Adapted from Bread for all Seasons, by Beth Hensperger
Danni says
Hi Paula,
I have a questions :
What is the good substitution for wheat bran and milk powder (for the sponge)?
Paula Montenegro says
Hi Danni, you can use oat bran instead of wheat. And use milk instead of water to hydrate the cornmeal and sub the milk powder. Hope that helps.
Danni says
Thank you for your reply. Will make this soon
Melissa says
Paula, I loved this bread! I made it for the SRC reveal day and already can't wait to make it again. Next time, I plan to try the cinnamon tequila jam to go with it!
Jane says
I must tell you that this bread is fast becoming my favorite! I have been making it for a couple of months and it is so baker-friendly that I haven't made it the same way twice. I keep forgetting to restock sesame seeds, but millet is a great sub - also polenta in place of cornmeal, etc. My DH actually got mad at me because I sliced into a fresh loaf of this when we still had a half loaf of another kind on the counter - please! I make it, I decide what kind I want when - men!
Cake Duchess says
Why are you so far away from me? I feel you about the coffee in the morning. And then a little more coffee. If you were closer, I'd have a 3rd cup with you and hope you would have some of this gorgeous bread to share. That jam...wow!xx
Marilyn says
Finally! A person who cannot abide food first thing in the morning. I have read all the stuff telling me I need to fuel my body, but I just can't get the food past my lips. I need two (at least) cups of coffee, my morning paper and about two hours to pass before food can get through my teeth. I love toasted home-made bread with Raspberry Freezer Jam and lots of butter on it. In the spring, fall and summer, this is taken on the deck while I look at the mountains and hear the birds at the feeders. Your bread would be great along with a slice or two of Swiss cheese. I will be baking it today and offer a slice to my feathered friends. I just signed up and am looking forward to many more hearty recipes.
Marilyn