Whole Wheat Molasses Bread


Version 1 using 100% whole wheat flour
2 3/4 cup warm water
1 1/2 TBSP dry active yeast
1/3 cup oil
1/3 cup honey
1/4 cup molasses*
1 1/2 tsp. salt
8 - 8 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

Dissolve the yeast in the warm water. Stir in the oil, honey, molasses, salt and 5 cups of the flour until well combined. Allow to rest 20 minutes. Then, knead in enough flour to make a moderately stiff dough that is just barely not sticky, and knead for about 10 minutes. Put in a lightly oiled bowl, turn once to coat, and cover with a towel to let it rise until double (about an hour). Turn on the oven to 375, punch down and form into two loaves and place into greased bread pans. Allow to rise for ONLY 10-11 minutes, then bake for 32-35 minutes.

*If you are avoiding molasses or don't have any on hand, you can substitute an extra 1/4 cup of honey for the molasses.

Version 2 using a mixture of whole wheat flour and all purpose flour
2 3/4 cup warm water
4 tsp. dry active yeast
1/3 cup oil
1/3 cup honey
1/4 cup molasses*
1 1/2 tsp. salt
2 cups all purpose flour
6 – 6 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

Dissolve the yeast in the warm water. Stir in the oil, honey, molasses, salt and 5 cups of the flour until well combined. Allow to rest 20 minutes. Then, knead in enough flour to make a moderately stiff dough that is just barely not sticky, and knead for about 10 minutes. Put in a lightly oiled bowl, turn once to coat, and cover with a towel to let it rise until double (about an hour). Turn on the oven to 375, punch down and form into two loaves and place into greased bread pans. Allow to rise for ONLY 9-10 minutes, then bake for 32-35 minutes.

*If you are avoiding molasses or don't have any on hand, you can substitute an extra 1/4 cup of honey for the molasses.

*****
Thanks to my dear friend Heidi for this great recipe. It’s challenging finding a 100% whole wheat bread recipe that is still soft and moist and this is by far the best 100% whole wheat bread recipe I have ever had. Heidi’s famous for this bread and for good reason! Plus it’s egg and dairy free!
Occasionally I prefer to lighten it a little and reduce the amount of whole wheat flour from the original recipe. Version 2 lists the modifications needed for changing the types of flour.

9 comments:

Maxine from Texas said...

How do you get the thinner crust? Every time I make bread it tastes yummy, but the crust is so thick we can't use it for sandwiches - which is usually my goal.

Emily said...

Generally if your crust is too thick, then the bread has been over baked or cooked at the wrong temperature. Most homemade bread loaves should have an 180° F internal temperature when they are fully cooked, you can use a meat thermometer to check the temperature. Your oven temperature may be off as well. You can buy a $5.00 oven thermometer at any superstore and it can tell you if your temperature is off.

I’ve also found that my silicone bread pans make a softer crust than my metal loaf pans. Hope this helps!

Nurse Heidi said...

:). Thanks for the nod. I feel famous. I'm hankerin' for bread today, but am caught in the quandry of having too many amazing recipes to choose from out of my new book.

In reference to your next recipe, have you ever used ground flax seed as an egg alternative in baking? Leslie taught me that one. I believe it's 1 T. flax seed + 2 or 3 T. water for each egg. She made a a quick bread loaf that didn't have any eggs, just the flax, and it was just fine. It's best in stuff that's got spices or is wheaty so that the little flecks don't look out of place.

Maxine from Texas said...

Hey there! I just wanted to thank you for the temperature tip - it worked great. I went ahead and used a meat thermometer. The crust was perfect. I was going to use the whole wheat flour version, but it turned out I only had two cups left - so I used the rest with all-purpose flour, and didn't seem to have any issues.

lcipher said...

Do you know if anyone has made this in a bread machine?

Emily said...

Sorry, I haven't tried it in a bread machine. You'll have to let me know if you convert it over.

Kathi said...
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Kathi said...
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Kathi said...
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