100% Whole Wheat Sandwich Bread Recipe that rises like white!

I have searched for and tried MANY 100% whole wheat bread recipes.  I have ruined countless loaves, and wasted a lot of flour and money trying to make 100% whole wheat bread.  I have tried adding gluten, lemon juice, citric acid, soy lecithin and more to get nice-rising 100% whole wheat flour.  My family has eaten many a failed loaf.  Eventually, I gave up.  I accepted the "fact" that you cannot make 100% whole wheat flour that rises nicely without using strange ingredients and additives.  I settled for a recipe that was about 70% whole wheat and the rest white flour to make it rise.  The recipe never completely satisfied me though.  It was somewhat crumbly and just didn't really cut it for a sandwich bread. 

My mother-in-law came across a great recipe that made 2 loaves of bread, was made from 100% whole wheat flour, and it rose nicely.   I was very envious, but I didn't want a 2 loaf recipe, I wanted an 8 loaf recipe.  And I didn't think you could just straight out double (or quadruple) a bread recipe without using too much yeast/salt.  Since I couldn't figure out how to double it, I started searching again for a good recipe.  I came across a recipe from Heavenly Homemakers that made 2 loaves, and called for soaking the flour first.  I was intrigued by all the good feedback she received and so I tried it.  I had to add significantly more water to the recipe but I was able to make it rise nicely.  My first success! 

I contacted Heavenly Homemakers and she informed me that she had doubled it straight across with good success.  So I tried it and it worked beautifully.  I added some other good stuff like flax, hemp hearts and chia seed, and ended up with a recipe that works perfectly, every time.  I am still excited about it!  (Simple pleasures, you know!)  It makes 4 loaves, and I haven't tried re-doubling it yet to make 8 but that is my next step.  I don't want to be baking bread more than once a week.

Today my friend, who swears she has never been able to successfully make a yeast bread, white or otherwise, is visiting.  I had her make the recipe following my instructions.  The bread looks fabulous! 

Here is the recipe:

100% Whole Wheat Sandwich Bread

Makes 4 loaves

Ingredients:

• 12 cups whole wheat flour, divided in 2
• 1 1/2 cups seeds (optional) (ie. hemp, chia, flax, sunflower, sesame etc)
• 4 1/2 tsp. yeast
• 1/2 c. liquid honey plus 1 tbsp.
• 6 tbsp. butter, melted, at room temperature
• 2 tsp. salt
• water (see below for amounts)

Directions: 

1.   Soak for 30 minutes or up to 2 hours:

•       6 cups flour in 5 cups warm water
•       Up to 1 1/2 cups seeds (optional) 
•       Cover with damp tea towel

Flour/water mixture shouldn't be watery.  Water should just mix into flour without any excess.   
Make sure there is no dry flour.  Add by the tbsp. if needed.

2.   Start sponge (half hour before starting):

•       in 1/2 c. warm water, gently mix 4 1/2 tsp. yeast and 1 tbsp. honey until just mixed. Set aside.  Do not over-mix.

Sponge should be visibly active: bubbles forming etc. before adding to recipe.

3.   Melt 6 tbsp. butter.  Cool to room temperature.

4.   After flour is soaked and sponge is bubbly add to soaked flour/seed mixture:

•       melted butter at room temperature
•       sponge (should be bubbly with yeast obviously active)
•       1 cup luke warm (not hot!) water
•       1/2 cup liquid honey (not hot!)
•       2 tsp. salt (sprinkled in)

5.   Mix/ knead in 5-6 cups flour to right consistency.  (Stir in until it is too hard to stir, then dump on lightly floured countertop and knead in.)  Dough should feel pliable and not dry. Sprinkle counter top with small amount of flour as needed to prevent from sticking to the counter.  Knead for 15 minutes.

6.   Place dough in large, greased bowl.  Cover with a damp tea towel.  Place in warm (not hot!) corner on counter top.  Allow to rise until double: up to 2 hours. 

 

  

7.   Remove from bowl, punch down and kneed for 2 minutes.  Divide into 4 even sizes. 

8.   Kneed each individual loaf.  Roll with a rolling pin and then roll up dough.  Pinch to make a loaf shape.  Place in greased loaf pan.  Repeat for all 4 loaves.  Cover loaves with damp tea towel.

9.   Allow to rise until double: up to 2 hours.

10. Bake at 350F for 40 minutes or until loaves are lightly browned and smell amazing :). 

11.  Remove from oven and cool 10 minutes on wire rack.  Remove from loaf pans and cool completely on wire rack.  Brush tops with butter if desired.  It makes the loaf tops nice and soft. 

Notes:

• Any ingredients added to a bread recipe should not be hotter than luke warm (drop some water on your wrist.  It should feel the same temperature as your wrist) or you may kill the active yeast culture.
• Bread rising time depends on room temperature, air pressure, altitude etc.  I am located at sea level. 
• Yeast amounts in a bread recipe can vary based on altitude. Click here for an altitude adjustment chart.
• Make sure your yeast expiry date hasn't passed.  Yeast can be too old to work properly.
• Click here for a video tutorial on how to knead bread.

Please let me know how this recipe works for you!  Feel free to share the recipe, giving credit where it's due :).  Enjoy!

This recipe has been linked to Frugally Sustainable's Frugal Days, Sustainable Ways #22, Our Simple Lives: Simple Living Wednesday Link Up, Turning The Clock Back: What's Cooking Wednesday, The Morris Tribe's Homesteader Blog Carnival #3 and The Real Food Forager's Fat Tuesday.