Everyday Wheat Sandwich Bread Recipe

This whole wheat sandwich bread has all the heartiness of whole wheat flour but without any density or bitterness. The ratio of whole wheat four to all-purpose flour is perfectly balanced. This is a perfect sandwich bread, is tender and one you'll make again and again.

Course Bread

Cuisine American

Keyword Everyday Bread, Sandwich Bread, Whole Wheat Bread

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 35

Total Proofing Time 3 30

Total Time 4 25

Servings slices

Calories 122kcal

Author Debby - www.AFeastfortheEyes.net

Equipment

Stand Mixer
Bread loaf pan 8-1/2" x 4-1/2"
Digital Scale highly recommended for more accurate measurements
Bowl Scraper Perfect tool for hand mixing or removing proofed dough from a bowl.
Spray Bottle I use this mister for ALL of my bread baking; so many uses
1/4 sheet pan
Cooling rack
Proofing Box My best investment for proofing dough
Digital thermometer accurate reading of baked bread

Ingredients

226 grams Whole Wheat Flour 2 cups; recommended King Arthur Flour Whole Wheat Flour or King Arthur Flour Golden Wheat Flour
150 grans Unbleached All-Purpose Flour 1¼ cups; recommended King Arthur Flour Unbleached All-Purpose Flour--plus more for dusting
1 1/4 teaspoons table salt
6 grams instant yeast 2 teaspoons; recommended SAF Instant Yeast
42 grams honey 2 teaspoons
28 grams unsalted butter 2 tablespoons; room temperature
1 1/4 cups milk 284g; warm (110°F); whole preferred
1/4 cup wheat germ 28g; for coating

Instructions

BEFORE YOU BEGIN:

Weigh your flour for the most accurate measurements. Likewise measure it by gently spooning it into a cup, then sweeping off any excess.

For a stand mixer:

In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer fit with the dough hook, combine the flours, salt, and yeast.
Add the honey, butter, and milk, mixing until no dry patches of flour remain and a soft dough forms.
Mix on medium speed until smooth, elastic, and pulling away from the sides of the bowl, 5 to 8 minutes for either method.
NOTE: The dough was a bit too soft and was not pulling away from the sides of the bowl. I added one tablespoon flour to the dough, mixing for one minute each time. The total added was 4 tablespoons flour for the dough to pull away from the side of the bowl.

Hand mixing:

If mixing by hand, cover and rest for 15 minutes. It’s particularly important to let this dough rest after it’s mixed but before it’s kneaded, as it gives the bran in the whole wheat flour time to hydrate and soften, which makes the dough less sticky and easier to mix.
Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and knead until a tacky, springy dough forms.

Proof the dough:

Return the dough to the bowl, cover, and let it rise until puffy but not necessarily doubled in volume, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
NOTE: In my proofing box the dough doubled in one hour.

Shape & Coat the Bread Dough:

Use a bowl scraper to gently ease the dough out of the bowl onto a lightly floured work surface.
Gently deflate the dough and pat it into an 8" x 12" rectangle.
Shape the dough into a log by bringing the short edges toward the center, overlapping them slightly. Flatten the dough into an even layer, then starting from the top, gently roll the dough towards you to form a log and pinch the seam to seal.
Grease an 8 1/2" x 4 1/2" loaf pan.
NOTE: I use USA Bread Loaf pans.They have a non-stick surface so that greasing the pans has not been necessary. Never wash them in the dishwasher, or it will remove the non-stick coating.
Spread the wheat germ on a rimmed baking sheet in an even layer the length of the dough log.
Wet a clean kitchen towel, then wring it out; it should still be pretty damp. Roll the shaped dough over the towel to moisten the loaf, then into the wheat germ, turning to coat.
ALTERNATIVE: Rather than using a wet towel, I use my handy dandy spayer to miss the rolled bread dough. This works perfectly for coating with the wheat germ.

Final proof:

Place the dough seam-side down in the prepared pan.
Cover and let rise until the loaf crowns about 1" over the edge of the pan, 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
NOTE: In my proofing box, this took slightly over one hour!
Towards the end of the rising time, preheat the oven to 350°F.
Bake the loaf for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and the internal temperature is at least 190°F.
If the loaf is browning too quickly, tent it loosely with foil and continue baking.
ALTERNATIVE: Instead of using foil, I top the bread with another loaf pan. This also prevents over browing.
Remove the loaf from the oven then turn it out of the pan and onto a rack to cool completely before slicing.
Store airtight at room temperature for several days; freeze, sliced, for longer storage.

Notes

Recipe source: King Arthur Flour Big Book of Bread

Nutrition