Whole Wheat Sandwich Bread
Perfect for sandwiches!
Ingredients
Part 1
- 2 cups hot water
- 2 cups milk
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tbsp dry active yeast
Part 2
- 1/2 cup oil
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 tbsp salt
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- about 10 cups whole wheat flour
Instructions
Part 1
- Combine hot water with the milk in a bowl so the temperature is lukewarm. (if it’s too hot it will kill the yeast) Add sugar and yeast and let set for about 10 minutes.
Part 2
- In a large mixing bowl combine the lemon juice, egg, remaining sugar, oil and salt. Pour in the liquid yeast mixture and stir until combined.
- Add 6 cups of the whole wheat flour and mix until combined.
- Add the remaining 4 cups of flour, 1 at a time, mixing each time until combined. Keep adding flour until your dough is not longer sticky, but still soft. (you may have to add more or less than 10 cups depending on altitude or humidity)
- Knead the dough until it passes the “window pane” test. This will take longer than when kneading white bread. (YouTube bread window pane test if you don’t know what that entitles. The time of kneading will depend on if you are doing it by hand or by machine. I never go by time, but instead by feel for best results)
- Cover the dough and proof for about an hour. Knock the dough down and proof for an additional hour.
- Knock the dough down and divide into 4 equal portions. Form the dough into loaves and place in greased bread pans. Cover the loaves with plastic wrap or a damp towel and proof for about an hour.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and bake bread until golden brown, about 25-30 minutes. You can tell when the bread is done when it makes a hollow sound if you tap the bottom of it. Cool the finished loaves on a rack. Store in airtight bags or in the freezer.
Notes
-Bake temperature and time vary according to your oven. My oven bakes hotter than normal, so I bake at 350°F for 28 minutes. You might have to play around a bit with your temperature and bake time to get the perfect result.
-Lemon juice is added as a preservative, it helps the bread stay fresh longer. It doesn’t overly affect the taste, so if you don’t have any it’s not a deal-breaker if you eat the bread in a day or two, or freeze it.
-You can omit the egg if needed, but I find it helps a little with structure.
-If you are trying to cut back on sugar you can cut the sugar down to 1/4 cup.
-Use butter or other fat in place of oil.
-Feel free to half the recipe if you don't have enough loaf pans.
-If you bread didn't get enough rise, make sure you kneaded it long enough. You could also increase the amount of yeast you use. ***Using stone ground wheat will produce a lighter, fluffier bread. If you are used milled or home ground flour, the bread will be more dense. To make a lighter bread with milled flour, you can try the following:
-double the yeast
-add one cup of white flour to help with gluten development.
-If you bread didn't get enough rise, make sure you kneaded it long enough. You could also increase the amount of yeast you use. ***Using stone ground wheat will produce a lighter, fluffier bread. If you are used milled or home ground flour, the bread will be more dense. To make a lighter bread with milled flour, you can try the following:
-double the yeast
-add one cup of white flour to help with gluten development.
- Keep in mind that bread making is part science, part skill and *mostly* luck. It may take you awhile to figure out how to make that perfect loaf!
I tried this and it turned out perfectly!