Honey Whole Wheat Bread
A light and fluffy, melt-in-your-mouth honey whole wheat bread recipe. Healthy, delicious and easy to make. If you don't think you like 100% whole wheat bread, try this recipe. It'll change your mind!
Ingredients
- 3 cups warm water
- 2/3 cup olive oil or melted coconut oil
- 1/2 cup honey
- 2 eggs
- 4 teaspoons salt
- 1/4 cup Sunflower Lecithin
- 2 Tablespoons active dry yeast or instant yeast
- 11-12 cups (1100-1200 grams) of freshly milled hard white or hard red wheat flour (I prefer organic hard white for this recipe)
Instructions
Yeast Option Instructions
- If using active dry yeast (not instant), start by pouring the warm water in your bowl or mixer (with dough hook), and add the yeast to the water. Stir slightly and let sit for 10 minutes to activate. If you are using instant yeast, you can add it at the same time you are adding the flour. The rest of the instructions are the same regardless of what yeast you use.
Mixing the Dough
- Add to the water and yeast mixture the olive oil, honey, eggs, salt and sunflower lecithin. Mix these ingredients together until well incorporated.
- While your mixer is running at low speed, add the flour a cup at a time. Depending on your humidity, you may need a little more or less of the flour. Continue adding in the flour until the dough starts to pull from the edges. This dough cooks up best (more moist) if left a little tacky. If using your hands, you may need to flour or oil them to work with the dough.
- Knead/mix the dough for at least 6-8 minutes to help the gluten structures form and get stretchy.
First Rise
- Oil a large bowl, add your dough to the bowl, and cover. Let the dough rise until doubled. This usually takes about an hour, but you can speed it up by placing it inside an oven with the light on or in a warm place.
Shaping Your Bread
- Once doubled, dump your raised dough onto a floured surface. Divide the dough into 3 balls if using 8x4 loaf pans, or 2 balls if using 9x5 loaf pans.
- To shape your loaf, press the dough into a rectangle, about the length of your bread pans. Beginning at one of the short ends, roll the edge into the center and press with your fingers to close the seam. Continue until you have formed a log shape, and fold in both ends.
Second Rise
- Place the shaped loaves into a well-oiled bread pan, cover with oiled plastic wrap or a tea towel and let rise. You'll want this rise to bring the dough an inch or 2 above the lip of the bread pan. Don't let it go too long, or it will begin to collapse and spill over. This rise usually takes about 45 minutes.
Baking Instructions
- When ready to bake, preheat your oven to 350 degrees farenheight. Bake in the oven for 25 minutes.
- When time is up, remove from the oven and let sit for 20 or so minutes to cool. Then, remove the loaves of bread from the bread pans and transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely before slicing into the bread. (You can eat a slice immediately, but it often leaves a gummy slice if not left to cool completely.)
- Feel free to rub some butter across the top of the loaf for a nice golden-brown color.
Storing Your Bread
- Store in an airtight bag for up to a week on the counter (if you don't eat it before that!). You can also slice the bread and store in the freezer for 2-3 months. Enjoy!
Notes
I have noticed using 11 cups (1100 grams) of flour yields a stickier dough and it is harder to work with, but the bread is lighter and fluffier. Using closer to 12 cups (1200 grams) of flour yields a bread dough that is easier to work with and is slightly heavier when cooked.
The 12 cups make a better sandwich bread loaf because it holds its shape better, but the 11 cups are so light and fluffy, and just melts in your mouth when straight out of the oven.
Both are delicious so you can play around to find what you like best.