I won’t lie to you, making wholewheat bread is no easy task.
But, as with most labours of love, the end product is well worth the time and the effort. To sink your teeth into a warm, airy slice of homemade bread is just pure bliss!
One great thing about baking bread is that it’s a hands-off process (rising, baking, etc.) so that all you really have to do is knead and shape it. And watch it rise if you have nothing better to do!
How to Make Wholewheat Bread
I know the instructions for this are pretty long – but don’t be put off!
They are easy to follow (I hope!) and the end product is so good (I hope!).
Making the Dough
Begin making the bread by mixing the wholewheat flour, white bread flour, salt, sugar, and yeast together in a large bowl.
Next, add the sunflower oil, then stir in the warm water with a fork. I use a fork instead of a spoon because it’s much easier to clean, but you choose!
That’s already your dough done! It’ll be quite wet and sticky, but that’ll change when you knead it.
Kneading the Dough & First Rise
To knead to the dough, generously flour a smooth surface and knead the bread dough until smooth, about 10 minutes. Try to add as little flour as possible, just enough to prevent the dough from sticking.
If you are unsure how to knead the dough, watch this video:
Place the kneaded dough in a lightly oiled bowl, covering it with a damp tea towel. Put the dough in a warm place, allowing it to double in size. This will take about 1 hour.
Shaping the Bread & Final Rise
Okay. This might sound a bit confusing, but don’t stress. Think of it as doing origami, but with bread dough!
Just try your best to follow the shaping instructions. If that doesn’t work out, just fit the dough into the loaf pan as best you can. I’m sure it won’t make a huge difference!
To shape the bread dough, place it onto a lightly floured surface and stretch it out to form a long rectangle with the shorter sides to your right and left.
Grab the corners on the left and stick them into the middle of the rectangle. Grab the corners on the right and also stick them into the middle.
Now, roll the top edge over your thumbs and tuck it into the centre. Do the same for the bottom edge, rolling it over to meet the centre.
Finally, close any gaps by pinching the dough together with your fingers, and place the dough (seam side down) into a lightly oiled, medium-sized loaf pan.
Cover the loaf with a damp tea towel, and allow it to rise for a further 1 hour; until it comes over the top of the loaf pan.
Baking the Wholewheat Bread
Once the dough has nearly completed its second rise, preheat the oven to 180°C.
When the dough has risen, pop it into the oven for about 20 minutes.
Cover the loaf pan lightly with some aluminium foil if the bread looks like it’s getting a bit brown. Bake for another 20 minutes until fully cooked.
You can test if the wholewheat bread is ready by knocking on the bottom of the bread. If it’s ready it’ll make a hollow sound.
Once baked, allow it to cool on a wire rack, then enjoy.
Serving & Storing
I think it’s pretty obvious how to serve this bread!
Just enjoy it as you would a normal bread loaf. It’s great when it’s still warm with some butter, or you can make a delicious sandwich.
As with most homemade bread, it doesn’t last very long.
Keep the wholewheat bread in an airtight container or plastic bag. It’s good for the next day or two as toast. You can also make a killer grilled cheese or toasted sarmie.
Wholewheat Bread Loaf
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Loading...This airy wholewheat bread is quite a long process, but so worth it. To bite into a warm, buttery slice of this bread is just amazing!
Ingredients
- 1½ cups wholewheat flour
- 3 cups white bread flour (plus ⅓ cup extra for kneading)
- 1½ tsp salt
- 1T brown sugar
- 1 packet instant yeast (approx. 1T)
- 1T sunflower oil
- 1¾ cup warm water
Instructions
Mix the wholewheat flour, white bread flour, salt, sugar, and yeast together in a large bowl.
Add the sunflower oil, then stir in the warm water with a fork. You will have quite a wet dough. Generously flour a smooth surface and knead the bread dough until smooth, about 10 minutes. Try to add as little flour as possible, just enough to prevent the dough from sticking.
Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, covering it with a damp tea towel. Place the dough in a warm place, allowing it to double in size. This will take about 1 hour.
Once the dough has risen, shape it*. Place the dough onto a lightly floured surface and stretch it out to form a long rectangle with the shorter sides to your right and left. Grab the corners on the left and stick them into the middle of the rectangle. Grab the corners on the right and also stick them into the middle. Now, roll the top edge over your thumbs and tuck it into the centre. Do the same for the bottom edge. Finally, close any gaps by pinching the dough together with your fingers, and place the dough (seam side down) into a lightly oiled medium-sized loaf pan. Cover the loaf with a damp tea towel, and allow it to rise for a further 1 hour; until it comes over the top of the loaf pan.
Once the dough has nearly completed its second rise, preheat the oven to 180°C. When the dough has risen, pop it into the oven for 20 minutes. Cover the loaf pan lightly with some aluminium foil if it looks like it’s getting a bit brown. Bake for another 20 minutes until fully cooked. You can test this by knocking the bread underneath. If it’s ready it’ll make a hollow sound. Once baked, allow it to cool on a wire rack, then enjoy.
Notes
*If the whole shaping process sounds a bit scary, have a look at the pictures in the blog post. They will guide you! Otherwise, just shape the dough as best you can and pop it into the loaf pan. Storage: This bread is best fresh, but great for toast the next day if you keep it in an airtight container or bag.
If you enjoyed making this wholewheat bread, you should also try out these sweetcorn rolls.
