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One of the best smells of a home is the delicious smell of fresh-baked whole wheat bread! This is a fragrance that I have known my entire life. As a little girl, I remember my mom making whole wheat bread on Friday afternoons which then became part of our traditional winter Friday night supper of freshly baked bread and homemade soup. There is just something wonderful about the warm, yeasty smell of fresh from the oven loaf of whole wheat bread!
Whole Wheat Bread
One of my summer jobs as a high school student was working in the kitchen at a youth camp. My daily job was to make 24-48 loaves of whole wheat bread each day. I soon had the recipe memorized and could weigh a pound and a half of bread dough in my hands just by the feel of it.
I have carried on the tradition of making homemade bread for my own family for 25 years now and still love the smell of fresh-baked whole wheat bread! This recipe includes years of trials and tests with the end result in a fluffly, non-crumbly loaf of delicious whole wheat bread!
Tools to make Homemade Bread
If you are going to make homemade bread, you need the right tools!
My absolute favorite kitchen appliance is my Bosch mixer! It was one of the first kitchen items we purchased after we got married and were still in college and I can say that it has been worth it’s weight in gold for the amount that I use it! It sits on the counter rather than in a cupboard because it is used at least twice a week and often more than that. I love the ease of making bread with my Bosch.
The only other thing you need for making bread is a set of good bread pans. Bread pans come in many sizes and quality. You can purchase cheap pans at the Dollar Store, but you will probably spend a lot of time trying to get your bread out of the pan after baking it. My favorite pans have been the non-stick pans or glass bread pans. Glass pans are so easy to wash but they do take up more space in the cupboard than the non-stick pans. My experience is that either pan bakes about the same.
If you purchase good quality bread pans, they will last a very long time through lots of loaves of bread and many washings!
Secret Ingredients for making the best Whole Wheat Bread
Vital wheat gluten flour is used in this recipe and here’s the reason why. Adding just a cup of vital wheat gluten flour to the whole wheat bread dough makes the end result light and fluffy with a fantastic elastic texture.
It also helps whole wheat bread raise more so you will end up with a fat loaf of bread rather than a flat, heavy loaf. Without vital wheat gluten flour, you will still have a delicious loaf of bread but it will be very crumbly when you slice it.
I have also found that the type of whole wheat flour you use makes a huge difference. I have been using Wheat Montana Prairie Gold Whole Wheat flour and my bread has had a much lighter texture as well. You can order this flour online or purchase it locally so that your bread turns out beautiful and fat every time!
Wheat Montana Prairie Gold Whole Wheat flour has a higher gluten content which is what helps to make the bread lighter in texture. It is also lighter in color so if your family is hesitant to eat whole wheat bread, this almost looks like white bread!
Fresh yeast is also critical in any bread recipe. Testing your yeast is the reason why you add the yeast and the hot water first and then let them sit until bubbly (usually about 10 minutes). If the yeast doesn’t get bubbly in that time, your yeast may not still be active. There is nothing more disappointing than making a batch of bread and having it turn out flat and heavy!
Keep your yeast in the fridge or freezer between uses to help it stay fresh for a longer amount of time. If you make bread often, it is much more economical to buy yeast in a bag rather than individual envelopes or packets.
My Favorite Bread-Making Supplies!
You may also enjoy these recipes…
Vera’s Orange Knots
Carrot Buns
Herbed Bunny Bread Rolls
Whole Wheat Bread
Ingredients
- 4 Tbsp yeast
- 5 1/2 cups warm water
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 2 Tbsp salt
- 3/4 cup oil canola, vegetable, or olive
- 1 cup vital wheat gluten flour
- 1 cup flax meal
- 8 cups whole wheat flour
- 6 cups white flour
Instructions
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Combine the yeast, warm water (110 degrees), brown sugar and salt and let it sit until the yeast gets bubbly. Usually about 10 minutes.
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Once the yeast is bubbly, add the rest of the ingredients into the bowl. Mix and knead until the flour is all mixed in. The dough should be soft to the touch but not stick to your finger. If it's still sticky, you may need to add a little more flour. Add flour, if needed, by 1/2 cup and then mix and check. You don't want your dough to get too dry and tough!
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When the bread is all mixed and the right consistency, cover it lightly with a towel or loose lid and let it rise until double in size. This usually takes about an hour depending on how warm your kitchen is.
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Once the bread has doubled in size, remove the dough from the mixing bowl and divide the dough into 6 equal parts. Knead each piece of dough to get all the air bubbles out of the dough and then shape into a loaf and place into a greased bread pan.
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Allow the loaves to rise until doubled in size again and cover them with a towel while they are rising!
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When the loaves have doubled in size, carefully place the bread in the preheated 350 degree oven and bake for 20-24 minutes. Any sudden movement or bumping of the bread at this point can cause the bread to fall.
Bread should sound hollow when you tap the crust when it's done. Remove from the oven and remove the bread from the pans and allow to cool on a rack. Once the bread is cool, bag it up to keep it fresh. You can freeze bread for 1-2 months.
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Slice your fresh bread and slather it with butter and enjoy!
My husband has been asking me to try making homemade bread like his mom always did. I found this just in time!
Wonderful! I hope it turns out beautifully!
I have never made bread before, but I have always thought about giving it a try. This post was so great and your bread looks so delicious!
I hope you try the recipe. Bread really isn’t as hard and it might seem when you have a Bosch mixer! 🙂
I love this!! My kids are getting used to white bread and it’s killing me!
I’ve started using Wheat Montana Prairie Gold whole wheat flour and it looks so much like white bread I’ve had to double check my bag of flour several times. It’s delicious and very light!
I have never made my own bread but I have always wanted to! This looks really delicious. I definitely need to look into investing in a bread making machine!
I don’t have a huge amount of experience in making bread,but I absolutely am a firm believer that there is nothing better than homemade 🙂 I look forward to trying your recipe soon!
I like that you adding flax meal, I make bread a lot too, but using bread maker most of the time, hehe, nothing beat the fresh baked bread right from your kitchen.
Oh my goodness, I can literally almost smell the bread! Looks fabulous!
Your bread looks so perfect and beautiful! It’s like a Better Homes & Gardens ad! I use my bosch and our recipes look about the same, but mine is rarely that beautiful. I love your glass bread pans, too.
Oh my! Thank you so much. ?
I want to come to your kitchen just for the smells! Looks so yummy!
Come right on over! ?
OMG this looks so yummy!
I love the smell of homemade bread, it’s so perfect! Thanks for sharing the recipe!
Absolutely! Enjoy.
Yum! I’m totally giving this a try 🙂 I love cooking with flax meal.
I’ve tried so many bread recipes and they always fail. This one is giving me the motivation to try again. I’m definitely saving this for later! Thank you!
I think bread making seems harder than it really is. Part of it may be not giving it enough time. Once you’ve got the process down, you can have beautiful bread everytime.
I’ve never heard of a Bosch! But it looks awesome!
Oh my! My Bosch is my very favorite appliance in my kitchen! Glad I could introduce you to my favorite kitchen friend!
I’ve never made homemade bread. This recipe looks yummy, I love the brown sugar addition.
Give it a try. It’s not as hard as it might seem and it’s so much better than store bought bread! (If I do say so myself! Ha)
Fresh baked bread is my favorite smell too! Can’t wait to try it.
You use a Bosch too! I love my Bosch and how much it can handle. Making bread in it is awesome. Thanks for the recipe, I will give it a try, I don’t make much whole wheat bread so this will be fun
It seems like our Bosch mixers are the best kept secret as many have not heard of them before. I use my Bosch for all sorts of things and use it multiple times per week. Mashed potatoes are the best in the Bosch!
This brings back so many memories! When I was a little girl my Mom would make whole wheat bread in a Bosch mixer. I will have to try to make this soon.
It smells sooooo good! 🙂
YUM! Homemade bread is the absolute best!! I can’t wait to give this a try. Looks so prefect 🙂 Love that you used flax meal
Enjoy the recipe and the delicious fresh bread! 🙂
Mmm. These pix remind me of my house growing up. My mom and dad made their own bread weekly, too, and man do I miss it. My dad used to cover his resting dough with a towel, too. 🙂
Nothing smells better than fresh baked bread!
I agree! It’s the best.
I love whole wheat bread. It is so good when it comes out of the oven hot and buttery.
I’ve been looking for some healthy bread recipes lately and this is perfect! That photo of the bread rising is fantastic too.
Hope you enjoy it! 🙂
I’ve never baked my own bread before, but this looks delicious!
You should try it! You will never eat store bread the same after you’ve eaten homemade!
Thank you so much for explaining why Vital wheat gluten flour is important. I have tried so many wheat recipes and my loaves were always crumbly! I can’t wait to try your. Thank you for sharing!
Vital Wheat Gluten flour makes such a wonderful difference in your bread. Not only does it reduce the crumbs but it also makes the bread lighter and fluffier.
Nothing beats the aroma and taste of whole wheat bread! This post is making me want to pull out my Bosch…
Aw yes! Do it! 🙂
I always love the smell of freshly baked bread! This recipe looks and sounds so delicious – I’ll have to try it soon!
-Jennifer
Enjoy!