Guest post from Brigette Shevy
There's nothing like homemade bread fresh from the oven! While I love baking and trying new recipes, this is my standard go-to recipe. It is healthy, super easy, and can be thrown together in less than five minutes if you use a bread machine.
I normally use all whole wheat flour (I grind my own using hard white spring wheat), but you can use any combination of white flour/ bread flour/whole wheat flour. I've even been known to throw in some other flours on occasion and make it multi-grain! The dough is extremely versatile and can be used for dinner bread, sandwich bread, rolls, and buns.
If you've never made bread before, this is a fabulous recipe to start with!
Recipe for Easy Whole Wheat Bread
Makes One Loaf or 10-12 rolls*
Bread Machine Instructions:
- 1 c. plus 1 T. warm water
- 1 T. coconut oil**
- 1 T. other oil (olive, canola, etc.)
- 2 T. honey
- 1 t. salt
- 3 c. whole wheat flour (or any combo of bread flour/whole wheat flour***)
- 1 scant T. instant active dry yeast
Put ingredients in bread machine in order listed (I have a Zojirushi model), or in the order recommended by your bread machine model. Run the dough cycle (my bread machine has two dough cycle options, and I use the shorter one – 45min. total). Proceed with baking instructions listed below.
Traditional By-Hand Instructions:
- 3 c. whole wheat flour (or any combo of bread flour/whole wheat flour), divided
- 1 scant T. instant active dry yeast
- 1 t. salt
- 1 c. plus 1 T. very warm water
- 1 T. coconut oil*
- 1 T. other oil (olive, canola, etc.)
- 2 T. honey
In a large bowl, stir together 1 ½ c. flour, yeast and salt. In another bowl, mix water, oils and honey until coconut oil is melted. Add wet ingredients to dry and beat with a hand mixer for 1-2 minutes. Gradually stir in additional flour by hand until the dough forms a ball. Turn onto a floured surface and knead for 5-10 minutes, adding additional flour as necessary. Let rise in a greased bowl until double (approx. 45-60 minutes).
Either Method:
When dough is finished, shape and place in a greased loaf pan (8 ½ x 4 ½ inch size), OR shape into rolls or buns and place on a greased cookie sheet. Let rise in a warm place for 30-40 minutes.
Bake at 350 for 30 minutes for bread (cover bread with foil after 15 min. to prevent overbrowning), or 11-13 minutes for rolls. Cool on a wire rack and store in sealed bags.
*If you have a 2-lb bread machine, you can make a double batch of this dough. Just be sure to bake it in the oven (not the bread machine) as the instructions state.
**While another oil can be substituted for the coconut oil, I highly recommend that you don't! I have made this recipe hundreds of times over the years, and the coconut oil absolutely does make a difference (especially if you are using all whole wheat flour). It makes the bread soft and light. I used to use various dough conditioners (wheat gluten, citric acid, etc), but found I didn't need them anymore once I started using the coconut oil.
***Store-bought whole wheat flour tends to be denser and not rise as much as freshly ground wheat flour. If you are using store-bought, I would recommend doing one cup white or bread flour (or more) to two cups whole wheat for a better finished product. Another option is to add a couple of tablespoons of vital wheat gluten to the dough.
