Skip the sandwich bread at the store and make this Everyday Whole Grain Bread instead!
October’s bakealong challenge recipe is Everyday Whole Grain Bread! I’ve been participating in King Arthur Flour’s bakealong challenge since they launched in August and it’s such a blast! King Arthur Flour releases a recipe every month and if you decide to make it, just tag it with #bakealong.
In case you missed them, catch my versions of the August bakealong challenge recipe – Pane Bianco, and September’s – Inside Out Pumpkin Muffins.
Let’s get back to this Everyday Whole Grain Bread. It’s the equivalent of buying sliced whole grain bread at the store. Except better because it’s fresh and homemade! As the name states, it’s an everyday type of bread so it’s very versatile. We’ve used it to make sandwiches for lunch and toast for breakfast.
I understand the convenience of buying sliced bread, but sometimes the from-scratch method is just so organic and fresh. It makes me think about simpler times, like the Pioneering days, when people used to chop their own wood, churn their own butter, and bake their own bread! Doesn’t that sound charming? I’m not saying it’s for everyone, but it’s really fun to bake homemade bread if your schedule allows it (I even find it therapeutic). Happy baking!
Everyday Whole Grain Bread
Ingredients
- 2 cups warm water (100°F – 105°F)
- ¼ cup sugar
- 2 ¼ teaspoons instant yeast
- 3 cups whole wheat flour
- 3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon salt
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the water and sugar and stir or swirl to dissolve. Stir in the yeast and 2 cups of the whole wheat flour. Let sit for 10 minutes, until bubbles form. Add in the remaining cup of whole wheat flour, 2 cups of all-purpose flour, salt, and vegetable oil.
- Using the dough hook attachment, turn the mixer on to the lowest setting until a cohesive dough forms. Add the remaining cup of flour over the sticky dough and mix on the next lowest until combined and a soft and smooth dough forms. The dough should hardly be sticky.
- Transfer the dough to a large bowl greased with oil. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and set in a warm* location for 1 ½ hours, until doubled in size.
- Deflate the dough and divide in half. Shape each half into an 8-inch log and place in greased 8 ½“ x 4 ½” loaf pans. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and set in a warm location to rise for an additional 30 minutes.
- While the loaves are rising, preheat the oven to 375°Once the loaves are ready, remove the plastic and bake for 30 minutes, until the crust is golden brown and the internal temperature is 190°F.
Notes
Storage
Store in an air tight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
Adapted from King Arthur Flour
The very best bread recipe I have ever used – and I have tried many. The only change I made was to use molasses in place of the sugar. My oven has a proof feature which is very useful – 100 degrees F. Everyone raves about this bread, even friends who are very picky!!
That’s awesome, James. So glad you enjoyed it!