100% Whole Wheat Sandwich Bread!

 

Amidst all the current news we have for our foods, I have scoured our town for organic produce, we have stopped eating red meat, and white meat with antibiotics, hormones, or other additives, and I search the internet almost daily for recipes of things I can make at home, that will not only give me sound piece of mind of what my family and I are eating, but also save us a few bucks in the process!

 

One thing, I haven't been able to duplicate at home, is whole wheat bread for sandwiches. We have bread that we eat with meals, and bread for breakfast, and what I've termed "fun breads" which are usually some form of fruit, nut or other yumminess. But not 100%, whole wheat, baked at home, sandwich bread. And the store bought kinds? Chock full of high fructose corn syrup.

 

 

Well, look no further. I've found it. I had to look no further than Peter Reinhart, who has tons of bread books, and they're all great! And it's delicious! So. Without further ado,   here's what you'll need :)

 

Planning. Yes, planning. This bread takes two days. Now mind you, most of this time, is spent in the fridge and/or rising, but it still takes two days. So we'll start with day one.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Cost per loaf: $1.03

 

 

Prep Time	Cook Time	Ready In
30 min	40 min	1 hr 10 min

NOTE: The prep time does not include the time it take for the soaker and biga to preferment. It only includes actual work by you.

Servings	Calories	Fat	Carbs	Protein
16	117	1.4	24	5

 

 

Day One.

This is the day you'll make the biga. Now what is biga you ask? Per wiki:

Biga is a type of pre-ferment used in Italian baking. Many popular Italian breads, including ciabatta, are made using a biga. Using a biga adds complexity to the bread's flavour and is often used in breads which need a light, open texture with holes. Apart from adding to flavour and texture, a biga also helps to preserve bread by making it less perishable. Biga techniques were developed after the advent of baker's yeast as bakers in Italy moved away from the use of sourdough and needed to recover some of the flavour which was given up in this move.

Biga:

• Whole Wheat Flour. Your choice, just make sure it's 100% whole wheat. 1 and 3/4 cups
• Yeast. I use the SAF Instant Yeast. 1/4 tsp . You can also use rapid rise. Your yeast needs to be able to be directly added to the flour mixture and not need to be dissolved in water first.
• Water (lukewarm) 3/4 cup

Now, you're going to mix these together to form a dough ball. Once the dough becomes a bit shaggy you'll want to dump it on your counter and knead it for 2 minutes. Now, put it in a covered bowl in your fridge. It will rise just a bit, but it need not be “proofed” to use in the final loaf. I just used a large tupperware container. Now, I did this when I woke up, pretty much first thing. The biga needs to sit for 12-24 hours, and can stay in your fridge as long as 3 days. Which means, you can make several if you want, and then pull them out when you need them!

Also, you'll want to make the soaker that night, before you go to bed. What is a soaker you ask? A soaker is basically some grain in some liquid, usually milk or yogurt, that sits out for about 8-12 hours or so, and it "soaks". It is used to release the whole wheat flavor, and make the bread more light and airy.

Soaker:

• Same whole wheat flour 1 and 3/4 cups
• 1 tsp of salt
• Milk (I used 1%) 3/4 cups + 2tbsp

Now, just leave the soaker in a covered bowl on your counter overnight. It'll be fine. If it’s going to be out longer than 12 hours, you’ll need to refrigerate it. When you wake up the next morning, it's time to make bread! Your soaker has been out for 12 hours or so, and your biga has been prefermenting in your fridge for 24. So let's get to it!

Take your biga out, and cut it (I used kitchen shears) into bite sized pieces, about 12-16 though you won't be eating it yet. Mix the chopped biga, the soaker and the following ingredients together:

• 7 TBSP of flour, depending on the humidity in your air. Start with that,  if you need more, add it.
• Yeast 2 and 1/4 tsp
• Agave nectar or honey (we use locally produced) 2 and 1/4 tbsp
• Coconut oil 1 TBSP

 

Mix everything together. Then turn it out on your counter and get to kneading. Do you have a Kitchenaid or like mixer? Put that bad boy in there for 8 min if you want. I personally get therapy from kneading dough, so I do it the old fashioned way. Plus, kitchenaid mixers are expensive!

After you finish your 8 minutes, let it rest for 5, then give it another minute with kneading, to strengthen the gluten. Whole wheat bread takes longer for the gluten to get good and stretchy. It should at this time, pass the windowpane test. 

As you can see here, it’s not fully developed, but it passes. As time goes on, while it’s doing it’s first proofing, before you put it in the pans, the gluten will strengthen and the windowpane will be much more noticeable, like below.

 Now, you get to walk away for a while, while it rises. Give it about an hour give or take ten minutes, for it to get 1.5 times it's size. When it's finished, pat it out on the counter, no need to get it thin or perfect, just make a rectangle and then roll it like a jelly roll or like cinnamon rolls and pinch the seam shut.

 

Put it seam side down in your greased pan, so it doesn't split while it's baking. Let it rise in the pan for about 45 minutes and then preheat your oven to 400º. As soon as it's preheated, and your dough has risen beyond the pan, lower the oven temp to 350º and put your bread in. Bake it for 40 minutes. In the last 10 minutes, I use a pastry brush and add just a touch of butter to the top for that nice crispy crust. You can add this in if you like.

When it's finished, set pans aside to cool for about an hour.

And then??  Enjoy, and pat yourself on the back for being such a terrific cook!