Easy Wholewheat Bread

 

After repeated cries for the recipe for this via Facebook, here goes!  This is no-knead, one-rise stuff, perfect to get on the go after work and bake before bedtime.

EASY WHOLEWHEAT BREAD

1kg wholewheat flour (eg NuttyWheat)

500ml (2 cups) digestive bran

15ml (3 tsp) yeast granules (1 to 1 1/2 sachet instant yeast)

1 litre (4 cups) warm water - 1 boiling to 3 cold
5ml (1 tsp) sugar
30-60ml (2-4 Tbs) sunflower oil
30ml (2Tbs) honey
10ml (2 tsp) salt
30ml (2Tbs) sesame & sunflower seeds - or to taste

Mix flour and bran in a large bowl.  Mix in salt.

Sprinkle the yeast over 250ml (1 cup) of the warm water, add sugar and leave until frothy (I do this even with the instant yeast sachets, as it blends better).

Add oil and honey to the flour mix, stir in yeast mix, then stir in the remaining warm water a little at a time, until the dough has a heavy dropping consistency (stop adding water when it reaches this).  For the loaves above, it took the entire 4 cups of water in total - and I mixed the final bit in with my hands to get all the flour worked through, which formed a sticky dough.

Divide the dough between 2 - 3 greased loaf pans (I used two pans, and turned each lump of dough over with wet hands a bit to smooth it).  Cover and leave to rise for about an hour until doubled in size (I stuck mine in a just-on oven, but in summer I pop them into the nearest car parked in the sun).

Preheat oven to 180C.  Sprinkle loaves with seeds (I did this before rising).  Bake for 35-45 minutes until loaves sound hollow when tapped.

Turn out onto a cooling rack and try not to scoff it all down hot.

NOTE:  this recipe calls for a lot less salt than your commercial loaves will use.  Don't be surprised at the difference in taste.  Also, don't leave out the honey - simply the smell while baking is worth it!!!  I'm sure you could throw in more seeds, a couple of raisins etc to this mix.  It's a simple recipe, open to experimentation.