Tammy's Recipes

A slightly sweet, healthy half-whole-wheat bread (also includes instructions for making this a 100% whole wheat loaf!)

1 cup warm water (110-115 degrees F)
1 tablespoon milk
2 tablespoons oil
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (see additional notes for a 100% whole wheat version)
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons instant active dry yeast

1. *Combine first 6 ingredients in a large mixing bowl; stir.

2. Add flours and yeast, and knead until dough is smooth and elastic, about 10-15 minutes. Place dough in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover with a clean towel and let rise until doubled, about 40 minutes.

3. Punch dough down; knead for a few minutes until smooth and then form into a loaf. Place in greased loaf pan and cover. Let rise in a warm place until almost doubled in size, about 30 minutes.

4. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes. If loaf starts browning too soon, lightly lay a piece of foil on top of the loaf to prevent too much darkening.

5. Remove bread from oven and allow to rest in pan for a few minutes. Remove to a wire rack and cover with a cloth. Slice and enjoy while still warm! Leftover bread can be stored in an airtight bag or frozen until needed.

*If you have a bread maker, you can use the dough setting to knead it for you. Just put ingredients in according to order listed.

This recipe also makes very delicious 100% whole wheat bread. The bread in this picture was made with Prairie Gold hard white wheat.

If you would like your whole wheat bread to have a softer and better texture, you can add these dough conditioning ingredients to this recipe:

• 3 tablespoons vital wheat gluten (replace 3 tablespoons of the flour called for in the recipe with this)

• 1/2 teaspoon soy lecithin (we use granules of lecithin, and add it to the water at the beginning)

• a pinch of citric acid (use sparingly!!)

• a sprinkling of ginger

You could also purchase pre-mixed dough conditioners, which contain some of these ingredients but are more costly. We found our citric acid, soy lecithin, and wheat gluten at a bulk foods store. A little goes a long way!

Since purchasing a grain mill, we have been making this recipe with 100% whole wheat flour, using the additional ingredients mentioned here in the notes. We have given away many loaves and received many compliments -- this is a really fabulous recipe -- one we use weekly!! :)

Check out this article for more information about why we like to use dough conditioners!

Update: After moving from Ohio to Seattle, I had difficulty with this recipe. Read more about my experimentation with it, and what worked for me. The (slightly revised) ingredient list I'm now using here in Seattle is as follows:

1 cup warm water
1 tablespoon milk
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons oil or softened butter
2 tablespoons honey
a sprinkle of ground ginger
a pinch of citric acid (can use ascorbic acid instead)
2 teaspoons granulated lecithin
4 tablespoons (1/4 cup) vital wheat gluten/gluten flour (75% protein)
3 cups whole wheat flour (I use Prairie Gold hard white wheat; any whole wheat bread flour would work.)
2 teaspoons instant active dry yeast

I put the ingredients in my bread machine in the order listed above, and run the dough cycle. When dough cycle is complete, gently deflate dough, shape into a loaf, and place in a greased loaf pan. Grease the top of the loaf. Cover and let rise in a warm place until nearly double in size. Bake in a pre-heated 350-375*F oven for 30 minutes. (Tent loosely with foil after 20-25 minutes if loaf is browning too quickly.) When bread is done, remove from pan, place on a cooling rack, and cover until cool. Seal in a bag or container after cooled.

This is my standard wheat bread recipe because it turns out consistently good! This recipe was given to me by our friend Judy F. As with most any homemade yeast bread, this bread is best fresh, and will get drier after a day or so. It has a slightly sweet flavor and is an excellent dinner bread. My rating: 10/10.