When I say this is the best whole wheat bread recipe for the whole family, believe me it is. If you are a whole wheat bread lover like myself, then you will not need any other whole wheat bread recipe after giving this bread a try. But before we start baking, I want to share with you ,where my love for whole wheat bread came from.
Growing up as a child in Ghana, one of my most comforting snack at night, before bedtime was whole wheat bread with hot chocolate hmm this really takes me back. Although my mother never baked, there was a lady that sold bread in our neighbourhood and was coming to our house every morning to sell us freshly baked bread. Back then, I remember my mother will always buy 2 loafs of bread. One white bread and One whole wheat bread, the whole wheat bread was the one I always preferred. There is something about the texture of whole wheat bread, due to the wheat bran and the lovely smell that I absolutely love, especially when you dip it in hot chocolate.
Besides the fact that this whole wheat bread taste great and is healthy, it has a very soft texture that makes it easy for a little child learning about solid foods to nibble on.
As your average mom, that is not a professional baker but a bread lover and is new to bread making, I was able to bake this delicious bread that has now become a staple for me and my kids and am more that excited to share the recipe with you. NOTE that because I live in Austria, items in the picture below are in german.
Ingredients :
500 g (about 3 1/3 cups ) Whole wheat flour
100 g (about 1 1/4 cups ) Wheat bran
1 Pack (9 g ) Active dry yeast
450 ml warm water
2 Tablespoons Honey
2 Tablespoons Oil (sunflower oil)
1 teaspoon Apple Vinegar ( this keeps the yeast happy and helps it to work better )
1 1/2 teaspoon Salt
Process :
You can use a stand mixer or a hand mixer with the bread hook attached to mix the bread dough, or use a wooden spoon or just your hands like I did.
Step one : Pour half a cup of warm water into a big mixing bowl. The temperature of the warm water should be around 110 degrees Fahrenheit (43 degrees celsius ). Add yeast , give it a stir and cover with a clean kitchen towel for about 5 minutes.
Step two : Now add honey, salt, oil and the apple vinegar then stir everything up. Add about half of the wheat flour, wheat bran and using clean hands, start combining. Add water gradually and the remaining flour.
Step three : Start kneading after the dough comes together. Note; the dough is very sticky so don’t be alarmed. However, if you somehow end up with a runny dough, just add a bit more wheat flour. Knead bread dough for 15 minutes. The dough should come together nicely and have a smooth texture.
Step four : Get another clean bowl, it should be big enough and grease with some oil. Place the dough in it, cover and let it rest in a warm place for 2-3 hours. After resting , the dough should double in size.
Step five : Dust a clean surface with a bit of flour and transfer the dough onto the surface. Knead a few times, then form the dough according to your baking pan. I used a rectangle baking pan (28 cm loaf pan ), greased and lined with parchment paper. Place dough in the pan and cover with the same kitchen towel for 30 minutes to rest. In the mean time, pre-heat your oven to 170 degrees celsius ( 338 degrees Fahrenheit ). After the 30 minutes, bake your whole wheat bread for 30 minutes, on the middle rack.
When done, your bread should have a beautiful light brown colour and the whole house should be smelling amazing . Let your whole wheat bread cool on a wire rack for about 10-15 minutes before taking it out of the baking pan.
Now, you need to enjoy the fruit of your labor by going to town with this bread.
Serving options for your little one ; Cut a slice and break it up into small pieces, add warm milk and serve as a snack before bed time or for breakfast. You can do the same thing with yogurt or with some homemade apple sauce. To watch me make this bread, visit my Youtube channel here
Also check my Spaghetti Bolognese Recipe for you and your baby if you haven’t already.
Thank you for reading and I hope you find this post helpful.
