Wheat Bread

Simple whole wheat dough that makes a great loaf for sandwiches.

Ingredients

• 1 cup wheat flour
• 1.5 cups bread flour
• 1/2 cup vital wheat gluten flour
• 1/3 cup oat or rye flour (or more wheat flour)
• 1/4 cup sunflower seeds
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar or honey
• 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
• 1 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup water
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1 standard packet of instant yeast
• 9 x 5 loaf pan
• Coconut oil for greasing loaf pan

Directions

Prepare Yeast

• Combine yeast packet and brown sugar in a large bowl
• Mix water and milk together and heat to 100-110F. Microwave works well for this.
• Whisk ingredients together and let sit for 5 minutes

Start dough

• Add olive oil, salt, vinegar and seeds to the bowl
• Sift in 1 cup of wheat flour
• Whisk together until incorporated. Tap excess batter off the whisk into the bowl.

Form dough

• Sift the remaining flour ingredients into the bowl
• Once all flour has been added, use your fingers to slowly gather up all of dry flour with the wet flour. As things combine, you should be able to start forming a rough dough ball.
• You should be able to easily clean your fingers off and touch the dough ball with out it being too sticky.
  • If the dough is too wet, add a little wheat flour
  • If the dough isn't coming together (too dry), add a little water

Knead

• Once you have an initial dough ball. Spread some flour on your rolling surface. Leave a measuring cup full of wheat flour on the side, in case you need to add flour while you are kneading. Dough should not stick to the surface.
• Knead for 10 minutes in a criss-cross pattern

First rise

• After needing, lightly cover the dough ball in oil and move back to the bowl.
• Let sit for 2 hours.

Shape and second rise

• Grease loaf pan with coconut oil. Remove excess.
• Take risen dough out of the bowl and place on rolling surface.
• Lightly tap your fingers on the dough to release air and start shaping into a rectangle
• Roll the dough into a loaf shape and move into the loaf pan
• Brush olive oil on top and then cover
• Let sit for 1 hour

Bake

• Once dough has risen ~1 inch above the pan, heat oven to 350F
• While heating, whisk one egg in a bowl
• Lightly brush the egg wash over the top of the bread. Do not push too hard, otherwise it will cause air to escape the dough.
• Bake for 30m
• After 30m, check to see how brown the loaf is. If it's browned enough, tent some tin foil over top. Otherwise, skip this step.
• Bake for 5-10 more minutes
• Internal temperature should be 195-200F