Whole Wheat Bread
Whole wheat bread often turns out heavy and dry, and the fix is usually water: bran soaks up far more of it than white flour does. We give the dough plenty, blend 70% wholemeal with some strong white flour for spring, and bake it in a tin. The result is a soft, nutty everyday sandwich loaf.
- Prep
- 25 min
- Cook
- 40 min
- Rest
- 3 h 10 min
- Total
- 4 h 15 min
- Servings
- 12
- Level
- Medium
- Per serving
- 150 kcal
Ingredients
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What to use instead
Swap the maple syrup for date syrup, or leave it out — the crust will just brown a little less.
Makes: 1 loaf in a 22 × 11 cm tin, 12 slices
Shopping list
The ingredients for the servings you chose — copy them or send them to a messenger. Tick what you already have at home: only the rest goes on the list.
Method
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Step 1: Mix
Stir the maple syrup and yeast into the warm water. Add both flours, the salt and oil and mix until no dry patches remain. Cover and leave for 10 minutes so the bran can soak up the water.
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Step 2: Knead
Knead for 8–10 minutes on a lightly oiled worktop. The dough will be soft and a little tacky but should hold its shape and feel springy; wholemeal dough never gets as silky as white.
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Step 3: First rise
Put the dough in an oiled bowl, cover and leave somewhere warm for 60–75 minutes until almost doubled.
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Step 4: Shape
Oil a 22 × 11 cm loaf tin. Press the dough into a 20 × 25 cm rectangle, roll it up tightly from a short side and pinch the seam. Set it in the tin seam side down.
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Step 5: Second rise
Cover and leave for 45–60 minutes until the dome rises 1–1.5 cm above the rim and a gentle poke springs back slowly. Heat the oven to 220 °C.
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Step 6: Bake
Mist the top with water and bake for 10 minutes at 220 °C, then lower to 200 °C and bake for 25–30 minutes more. Turn the loaf out: it’s done when the base sounds hollow and the centre reads 96 °C.
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Step 7: Cool completely
Cool on a rack for at least an hour. A wholemeal crumb takes time to set and will be gummy if you cut it too soon.
Tips & variations
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Tip
Wholemeal flours vary in how much water they drink. If the dough feels dry and stiff, add another 20–30 ml water.
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Variation
Knead in 50 g sunflower or pumpkin seeds, or 2 tbsp linseed, at the mixing stage.
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Swap
Swap the maple syrup for date syrup, or leave it out — the crust will just brown a little less.
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Storage
Keep in a bread bag for up to 4 days. Sliced, it freezes well and toasts straight from frozen.
Nutrition
| 1 serving | Whole dish 12 servings | |
|---|---|---|
| Energy | 150 kcal | 1,800 kcal |
| Protein | 5 g | 60 g |
| Fat | 2 g | 24 g |
| Carbohydrates | 29 g | 348 g |
Approximate values calculated from standard ingredient data.
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