Today we are making Phenomenal Homemade Whole Grain Bread. Have you heard the expression: “the greatest thing since sliced bread”? It was in 1921 that Wonder Bread began selling bread sliced, and it was considered such a wonderful invention that the expression was born. There is hardly anything better than bread.
Bread has been such a part of life for as long back as we can remember.
So, today are making a phenomenal whole grain bread. It is moist and delicious on the inside, and crusty and beautiful on the outside. And the best part of all, it is packed full of needed nutrients.
Bread is an American Staple:
Bread is an American staple; in fact, most cultures have some sort of bread associated with their primary diet. It is the reason we have expressions like “the breadwinner of the family,” or “putting bread on the table.” We all know what that means. Bread is such an important part of life. Just mention the word bread, and wonderful memories usually come to mind.
Now, most of us have gotten used to getting our bread from the grocery store. There are so many varieties, so many choices, and it seems so much easier than making your own. In fact, bread making has gotten the reputation of being hard to do; it is almost a lost art. In our society, baking bread is something we do as a hobby, rather than out of necessity, but there is a very good reason why we should bake our own bread.
Store-bought bread is often packed full of preservatives so that it can last for weeks without spoiling. A few months ago, I went to a health food store and asked for whole wheat bread made without preservatives, and they told me that it was not feasible for them to sell such bread in their store, as the shelf life is too short. I am so grateful that there are health food stores that sell wholesome breads made without preservatives. Sometimes you need to look for them in the freezer section.
But why not make your own?
This is what we are doing today. We are baking whole grain bread from scratch. It is really not that hard, and there is something very therapeutic about the process. There is also such a sense of accomplishment when that beautiful loaf is resting on the kitchen counter. Just the smell of fresh-baked bread brings the family together.
We are using fresh ground white whole wheat flour. It is a little lighter in color and milder in taste than the traditional red whole wheat flour, but they are both equally nutritious.
I hope you enjoy this Phenomenal Homemade Whole Grain Bread recipe!
PrintPhenomenal Homemade Whole Grain Bread
- Yield: 1 loaf 1x
Ingredients
- 2 cups warm (not hot) water
- 1 tablespoon yeast
- 1/4 cup maple syrup (or apple juice concentrate)
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 3 cups White Whole Wheat Flour
- 1 cup Sprouted Spelt Flour (One Degree)
- 1/2 cup Old Fashion Oats
- 1/4 cup vital wheat gluten
Instructions
Add the warm water to a large glass bowl and sprinkle yeast on top. Give a quick stir with the back of a wooden spoon. Set aside to rest for 10 minutes.
In the mean time combine the whole wheat flour, spelt flour, old fashion oats and vital wheat gluten in a separate bowl. Stir to combine.
After 10 minutes, add oil, maple, and salt to the yeast mixture.
Next add the flour mixture to the yeast mixture and combine. Be sure to hold back a little of the flour, just in case it will not need all of it. Make into a dough.
Place on a clean counter and knead for 10 minutes by hand, or 5 minutes by machine.
Form dough into a round ball. Place in a slightly greased bowl to rise. Cover with plastic and/or a clean towel, and let rise until double in size, usually 45-60 minutes.
Remove from bowl. Make into a loaf shape. Place in a greased loaf pan. Cover with kitchen towel. Let rise again for 30-45 minutes, until well above the rim of the pan.
Bake at 350F for 40 minutes.
Remove from oven, remove the loaf from the pan, let sit and cool completely on a cooling rack for several hours before slicing.
This bread freezes wonderfully.
Looking For More Bread Recipes:
- Vegan Banana Bread
- Artisan Bread (No-Knead)
- Norwegian FLATBRØD (FLATBREAD)
- GLUTEN FREE NORWEGIAN FLATBRØD (FLATBREAD)
- VEGAN APPLE CINNAMON SWIRLY TWISTED SWEET BREAD
karina sastropawiro
helo,
I made this bread today. the dough is very very sticky. .I was wondering if it makes a difference if i skip the 1/4 cup of gluten would make the bread less fluffy.
Chef Ani
The dough is not supposed to be very sticky, just slightly sticky. Just add more flour until the dough is manageable. If you skip the gluten flour the bread will be a little less fluffy, but should still be ok. You will have to add more flour to replace the gluten flour in the dough. Hope this helps!
Johanna
Can this work in a bread machine if not, what adjustments should be made…thank u in advance
Chef Ani
Good question. I have actually not tried this recipe in a bread machine, but I’ll give it a try.
I would think that you would need a 2 pound bread machine for this bread as it has 4 cups of flour.
It is a large loaf and a smaller machine may struggle. Thanks for your comment.
Sugeetha
I am from India. Dont get spelt flour. Is there a substitute
Chef Ani
Great Question! For a lighter bread you can just use all-purpose flour or whole wheat white pastry flour.
Catherine
Hi there
when you use yeast do you use instant or active dry yeast for this bread?
Chef Ani
Great Question! I use instant yeast.
Steven
This recipe is a real standout – it’s the cornerstone of my sandwich breads.
In particular, your video is especially helpful. Your instructions include freshly milling whole wheat white flour just before baking. There’s significantly more loft and airiness with this bread after recent milling; even a very good pre-milled flour (like King Arthur) doesn’t have the same loft as freshly milled. The difference is striking.
★★★★★
Chef Ani
Thank you so much for your amazing comment, Steven! I am so happy to hear you liked the recipe. I couldn’t agree more! Fresh milled whole wheat white flour makes all the difference. Thank you for your 5-star review! It really helps me out.