Whole Wheat Bread
Measure out 1 cup (249 grams) of water.
Heat up half of that water, and leave the other half cold.
We want to dissolve our honey or sugar in the hot water and then return the mixture to lukewarm temperature.
So take half of the water and microwave it for 1 minute. Or heat it on high in a saucepan for 2 minutes.
Dissolve 2 tablespoons (50 grams) honey or sugar in the hot water, and stir it well. Use the hot water to get all of the honey from the spoon.
Then add the cold half of the water back to the honey or sugar water, and stir it well.
Now we have a mixture of fully dissolved honey or sugar at a lukewarm temperature. This is ideal for yeast activation.
Add 1¾ teaspoons (6 grams) active dry yeast to your honey or sugar mixture, and stir it well.
Wait 5 minutes for the yeast to activate.
Meanwhile, decide whether to use butter or vegetable oil in your bread.
If you like butter, choose salted or unsalted butter.
If your butter is salted, then you need to decrease the amount of salt that you add later.
Either way, melt 3 tablespoons (40 grams) butter in the microwave for 45 seconds. Or melt it on low to medium heat in a saucepan.
Add the butter quickly to the yeast mixture and stir well.
If you like vegetable oil instead of butter, add 2 tablespoons (30 grams) of vegetable oil to the yeast mixture and stir well.
In another bowl, add 1½ cups (226 grams) durum wheat flour.
Add 1¾ cups (229 grams) all purpose flour (Bob's Red Mill).
Add 1 teaspoon (7 grams) salt, and mix the dry ingredients thoroughly.
Gradually pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, stirring with a spoon to keep your hands clean. At this stage, the dough will make a huge mess, if you stick your hand in. For extra leverage, you can use a wooden spoon upside down, or purchase a dough whisk or a pastry blender.
After the dough is too hard to work with your spoon, finish mixing with your hands.
Knead for 10 minutes, by repeatedly pushing the dough into itself with the palm of your hand. It's like you are trying to mix all the ingredients in a solid object. Try not to introduce any air bubbles into the dough. At this stage, the dough will start to stick to itself more than to your hands. It will start to develop a memory, such that if you push it flat, it will try to return to its previous shape. That memory, or springiness, is what will keep the bread from collapsing after it rises in the oven. If you don't knead the bread enough, then it will not have any strength, and it will collapse after it bakes.
Write down the current time, so that you know when you started the first rise (the first proof that your yeast is doing its job). Coat your blob of dough with oil, and put it in an airtight container for 2 hours -- or until the dough doubles in size. On a cold day, this could take 3 or 4 hours. The dough will rise faster in a warmer environment. If you don't want to finish the bread today, then seal the dough in an airtight container, and put it in the refrigerator for 12 to 48 hours, until you're ready to do the second rise. The first rise will proceed very slowly in the refrigerator.
After your dough has doubled in size, de-gas the dough, by kneading it for a minute.
Make a cylinder shape and put it into a greased bread pan. If you don't have a bread pan, you can use a metal mixing bowl, or even a saucepan. Just make sure to remove any parts that could melt in the oven. Hardware stores often have disposable aluminum bread pans that can be re-used. Cover it with cling film, or with the lid from a pan, or with laminated fabric, or with something else to make it airtight.
Wait 1 hour or until the dough doubles in size again. This could take several hours.
Preheat oven to 375 F.
Bake for 36 minutes. Set an alarm right away. Set another alarm for 25 minutes. If you don't have alarms, then write down your times for 25 and 36 minutes from now. You could also write down the start time, just in case you got the math wrong.
At the 25 minute mark, put aluminum foil loosely over the top to prevent burning of the crust.
After 36 minutes, take out the bread and cover it again with the foil. Keep it wrapped so that it doesn't dry out as it cools.
Wait until fully cooled before cutting. This will take a couple of hours.
You will end up with a 716 gram loaf with about 18 slices.
Heat up half of that water, and leave the other half cold.
We want to dissolve our honey or sugar in the hot water and then return the mixture to lukewarm temperature.
So take half of the water and microwave it for 1 minute. Or heat it on high in a saucepan for 2 minutes.
Dissolve 2 tablespoons (50 grams) honey or sugar in the hot water, and stir it well. Use the hot water to get all of the honey from the spoon.
Then add the cold half of the water back to the honey or sugar water, and stir it well.
Now we have a mixture of fully dissolved honey or sugar at a lukewarm temperature. This is ideal for yeast activation.
Add 1¾ teaspoons (6 grams) active dry yeast to your honey or sugar mixture, and stir it well.
Wait 5 minutes for the yeast to activate.
Meanwhile, decide whether to use butter or vegetable oil in your bread.
If you like butter, choose salted or unsalted butter.
If your butter is salted, then you need to decrease the amount of salt that you add later.
Either way, melt 3 tablespoons (40 grams) butter in the microwave for 45 seconds. Or melt it on low to medium heat in a saucepan.
Add the butter quickly to the yeast mixture and stir well.
If you like vegetable oil instead of butter, add 2 tablespoons (30 grams) of vegetable oil to the yeast mixture and stir well.
In another bowl, add 1½ cups (226 grams) durum wheat flour.
Add 1¾ cups (229 grams) all purpose flour (Bob's Red Mill).
Add 1 teaspoon (7 grams) salt, and mix the dry ingredients thoroughly.
Gradually pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, stirring with a spoon to keep your hands clean. At this stage, the dough will make a huge mess, if you stick your hand in. For extra leverage, you can use a wooden spoon upside down, or purchase a dough whisk or a pastry blender.
After the dough is too hard to work with your spoon, finish mixing with your hands.
Knead for 10 minutes, by repeatedly pushing the dough into itself with the palm of your hand. It's like you are trying to mix all the ingredients in a solid object. Try not to introduce any air bubbles into the dough. At this stage, the dough will start to stick to itself more than to your hands. It will start to develop a memory, such that if you push it flat, it will try to return to its previous shape. That memory, or springiness, is what will keep the bread from collapsing after it rises in the oven. If you don't knead the bread enough, then it will not have any strength, and it will collapse after it bakes.
Write down the current time, so that you know when you started the first rise (the first proof that your yeast is doing its job). Coat your blob of dough with oil, and put it in an airtight container for 2 hours -- or until the dough doubles in size. On a cold day, this could take 3 or 4 hours. The dough will rise faster in a warmer environment. If you don't want to finish the bread today, then seal the dough in an airtight container, and put it in the refrigerator for 12 to 48 hours, until you're ready to do the second rise. The first rise will proceed very slowly in the refrigerator.
After your dough has doubled in size, de-gas the dough, by kneading it for a minute.
Make a cylinder shape and put it into a greased bread pan. If you don't have a bread pan, you can use a metal mixing bowl, or even a saucepan. Just make sure to remove any parts that could melt in the oven. Hardware stores often have disposable aluminum bread pans that can be re-used. Cover it with cling film, or with the lid from a pan, or with laminated fabric, or with something else to make it airtight.
Wait 1 hour or until the dough doubles in size again. This could take several hours.
Preheat oven to 375 F.
Bake for 36 minutes. Set an alarm right away. Set another alarm for 25 minutes. If you don't have alarms, then write down your times for 25 and 36 minutes from now. You could also write down the start time, just in case you got the math wrong.
At the 25 minute mark, put aluminum foil loosely over the top to prevent burning of the crust.
After 36 minutes, take out the bread and cover it again with the foil. Keep it wrapped so that it doesn't dry out as it cools.
Wait until fully cooled before cutting. This will take a couple of hours.
You will end up with a 716 gram loaf with about 18 slices.