Recipe: Homemade Whole Wheat Bread

I decided to make my own bread.  Although we don't eat a ton of bread I thought that if it was healthier it was also probably cheaper so why not give it a go.  I wanted to find a simple bread recipe that would bake in the oven and not have all sorts of special bread machinery and such.  Old school! 

I searched good ole Pintrest and found the perfect recipe!  I tried it last Sunday and it turned out perfect. 

I did forget to grease my pans so the bottom of my bread stayed put but you really would have never known.  One loaf was gone pretty quick as I shared my accomplishment with family members but we are still working on the second loaf. 

I figured that each loaf should make anywhere from 12-16 slices and that equals 204 calories a slice.  This may seem like a lot since the whole wheat bread I currently buy from the grocery store is only about 60 calories a slice. 

The main plus for me is that my recipe is first homemade so the only things in it are what you see below.  Also it is low in saturated fat and also contains ZERO sugar.  It isn't the type of bread that you would want to make a sandwich with everyday but a slice here or there to go with some eggs is perfect.  It is a bit dense and not very fluffy or airy but I feel that comes with the territory of making it myself. 

I plan to search a bit more for some variations of oven made bread to see if I can find a lighter bread but until then this is the perfect thing for us.

The recipe I used came from HERE! I did make a few MINOR adjustments with the ingredients

Ingredients:

7 1/2cups Whole Wheat Flour, Or As Needed To Make A Soft Dough
4 1/2 teaspoons Rapid-rise Yeast (this equals about 2 of the little packages from the store)
2 1/2 teaspoons Sea Salt
1 1/2 cup Milk (we have 2%)
1 1/2 cup Water
1/4 cups Honey
1/4 cups Oil ( I used canola)

Directions:

1. Combine 3-1/2 cups flour, undissolved yeast and salt in a large mixing bowl.
2. Heat milk, water, honey and oil until very warm (not boiling—it should just be a bit warmer than lukewarm).
3. Gradually add to the flour mixture; beat 2 minutes at medium speed with an electric mixer, scraping the bowl occasionally.
4. Add 1 cup flour; stir until combined, scraping bowl occasionally. With a spoon or clean hands, mix in enough of the remaining flour to make a soft dough.
5. Knead on a lightly floured surface until smooth and elastic, about 6 to 8 minutes.
6. Cover kneaded dough and let rest 10 minutes.
7. Divide dough in half. Roll each half to a 12 x 7-inch rectangle. Beginning at the short end of each rectangle, roll up tightly as for a jelly roll. Pinch seams and ends to seal. Place, seam side down, in 2 greased 8-1/2 x 4-1/2-inch loaf pans.
8. Cover; let rise in a warm, draft-free place until doubled in size, about 30 to 60 minutes.
9. Bake in a preheated 375ºF oven for 35 to 45 minutes or until done.
10. Remove from pans; let cool on wire racks.



Beautiful finished product

 

I think although it looks a bit smashed it looks so yummy and healthy too! 

 

Note: whole wheat flour is hard to find if you are in rural areas such as ours.  I had to get mine from Fresh in Tyler!

 

You should really try this recipe, for bread it isn't that time consuming and it tastes wonderful. 

 

You and your family would love it.