Who says whole wheat bread has to be dense, dry, and tasteless? This 100% whole wheat recipe features the delightfully nutty taste of wheat in a fine-grained, moist, faintly sweet loaf.
After many trails i finalized on this particular recipe. I have used Tangzhong technique, an Asian method for increasing the softness and shelf life of yeast bread.
INGREDIENTS
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup honey
3 1/2 cups Whole Wheat Flour
2 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast, or 1 packet active dry yeast dissolved in 2 tablespoons of the water in the recipe
1/4 cup milk powder
1 large Egg
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
FOR TANGZHONG :
Take 3 tablespoons of flour and 1/2 cup of the water; put them in a saucepan set over medium-high heat. Cook the mixture, whisking constantly, until it forms a thick slurry; this will take about 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 minutes. Transfer the cooked mixture to a bowl, let it cool to lukewarm, then combine it with the remaining flour, the remaining water (+ 2 additional tablespoons), and the other dough ingredients.
METHOD:
- Firstly make the tangzhong and once its lukewarm add to a large bowl and Combine all of the ingredients and stir until the dough starts to leave the sides of the bowl.
- For easiest way let the dough rest for 20 to 30 minutes in the bowl before kneading, this gives the flour a chance to absorb some of the liquid and to soften.
- Transfer the dough to a lightly greased surface, oil your hands, and knead it for 6 to 8 minutes, or until it begins to become smooth and supple. (You may also knead this dough in an electric mixer
- This dough should be soft, yet still firm enough to knead. Adjust its consistency with additional water or flour, if necessary. but do not add too much water or flour
- Transfer the dough to a lightly greased bowl cover it, and allow the dough to rise till puffy about 1 to 2 hours, depending on the warmth of your kitchen.
- It would have almost doubled in size
- Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled work surface, and shape it into a log. Place the log in a lightly greased loaf pan, cover the pan loosely with lightly greased plastic wrap, and allow the bread to rise for about 1 to 2 hours, or till the center has crowned about 1" above the rim of the pan. ( if your loaf pan is smaller divide the batter into two pans, this is ideal for a 8 1/2" x 4 1/2" loaf pan)
- Towards the end of the rising time, preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Bake the bread for 35 to 40 minutes, tenting it lightly with aluminum foil after 20 minutes to prevent over-browning. The finished loaf will register 190°F on an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center.
- Remove the bread from the oven, and turn it out of the pan onto a rack to cool. you can rub the crust with a stick of butter( this is optional ) this will yield a soft, flavorful crust.
- Cool completely before slicing.
- Store the bread in a Bread box or wrap in in a plastic bag