Does anybody have a great, 100% whole grain bread recipe? I've been looking for one for a while now, and was really hoping that this would be it, but I was disappointed when I saw that this recipe actually calls for half white flour. Maybe it's just impossible to get the right rise and texture with all whole grain. The 100% whole grain bread recipes I've tried haven't been very good. Most of the good ones have been like this--a mix of white and whole wheat flour. Anyway, I recently bought some Red Fife Bread Flour (which is whole grain), so I decided to use 4.5 cups of that with 2 cups of white bread flour and hope for the best....And, the bread was about as expected. It had a nice flavor--definitely more complex than white bread--but was denser than I was hoping for. I think it'll make good toast and has a hearty texture that will stand up well to sandwiches, but it wasn't so great plain. I served it for dinner with cheeses, sliced tomatoes (from the garden), and the endives, apples, and grapes (which I'll be posting about soon).
For the recipe (which I would recommend following more precisely than I did!), visit out hosts for the week Michele and Teresa.
King Arthur Flour's book "Whole Grain Baking" has a 100% whole wheat sandwich loaf that is usually my go to (it uses orange juice, potato flakes and dried milk) - the recipe might be on their web site. It's the best one I have found so far.
ReplyDeleteYour loaf does look like it came out perfectly & I haven't made the endive & grapes yet. I am hoping for the best :-)
Thank you so much for the recommendation. I actually own the book, but haven't tried that recipe yet. I'll have to do that as soon as we finish these loaves.
DeleteI, too, did a double take when I saw the use of white flour in the recipe.
ReplyDeleteGreat idea to serve it with the endive, apples and grapes! They look great your loaves. I´ve been baking a 100% whole wheat bread for years, from Beth Hensperger in The Bread Bible. It´s amazing. I have to write the recipe and send it to you, since my google search didn´t show the recipe.
ReplyDeleteI would love to have the recipe if you don't mind! I'm always trying to eat more whole grains, but I find it surprisingly challenging.
DeleteIt's hard to find a truly whole wheat bread that gets the height that mixed flour breads get. I think this is a nice all-purpose loaf just the same. I've yet to make next week's endive dish - it looks really good, though.
ReplyDeleteI'm new to bread baking, so haven't tried a 100% whole wheat loaf yet. I do hope you find one. What you made looks perfect. I did like this one for toast and sandwiches.
ReplyDeleteI made 100% WW bread for years. The kids did prefer white bread but a mix is good.
ReplyDeleteJora, your Bread looks wonderful and I agree that it made pretty good sandwich bread - we usually do not eat this kind of bread much around here, more sourdough kinds of breads with hearty crusts but this was a good baking experience.
ReplyDeleteI second the recommendation of the King Athur recipe. True 100% whole wheat bread is tough to get the texture right. Your bread looks really good, though!
ReplyDeleteI thought this bread made great toast - but that's about it.
ReplyDeleteGood luck in your quest for the perfect loaf!!