Soft and Fluffy Honey Wheat Bread

I recently began making my own bread each week. Though I’ve made bread before, I’ve never made enough of it to eliminate the need for us to purchase some each time I grocery shop. One reason for this was lack of time. With three kids under age five, I don’t exactly have a lot of time for baking! The main reason, though, was that I hadn’t found a recipe that yielded soft, fluffy bread. Sadly, the bread I made was reminiscent of cardboard.

Several months ago I began searching for a recipe that would enable me to make good homemade bread. There were two catalysts for this. One was my desire to feed my family healthy foods. Most breads available in the store contain unnecessary ingredients that may not be safe (corn syrup, azodicarbonamide, DATEM, etc.). Bread can be made with very basic ingredients—it doesn’t need to contain numerous dough conditioners and preservatives! The second catalyst was financial. It costs a lot of money to purchase loaves of bread that don’t contain these questionable ingredients. We’re on a tight budget, so purchasing these loaves isn’t an option.

I began trying homemade bread recipes. I finally found one that worked pretty well. I made a few small changes to the recipe so it’s “just right” (as my kids say). Now I’m making soft, delicious homemade bread each week!

Ingredients

(Adapted from this recipe.)

• 5-6 1/2 cups whole wheat flour (I use white whole wheat)
• 1 3/4 tablespoons instant yeast
• 1/4 cup vital wheat gluten (see note below)
• 2 3/4 cups warm water
• 2 tablespoons ground flaxseed (optional)
• 1 tablespoon powdered buttermilk (optional)
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice (bottled or fresh)
• 1/3 cup oil (I use avocado oil)
• 1/3 cup honey
• 1 tablespoon salt

Instructions

Fit your stand mixer with the dough hook. In the bowl, mix together the yeast, gluten, and 3 cups of the flour. Add the warm water and mix well. Cover the bowl and allow the mixture to rest for 10-12 minutes.

Add the ground flaxseed (optional), buttermilk (optional), lemon juice, oil, honey, and salt. Mix in on low speed.

With the mixer still running on low speed, add the flour 1/2 cup at a time until the dough begins to pull away from the sides of the bowl (use as little flour as it takes to get the dough to this state—a little stickiness is okay). Let the mixer knead the dough for 5-6 minutes.

Turn the dough onto a lightly floured counter and divide in half. Use your hands to shape each half into a taut loaf and place in a lightly greased 8 ½ x 4 ½-inch loaf pan. Cover the loaf pans with a towel and let the loaves rise until they extend 1-2 inches above the top edges of the pans.

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Place the pans on a middle rack and bake for 28-32 minutes or until golden and thoroughly baked (an instant-read thermometer should register 180-190°F in the center of a loaf).

Turn the loaves onto a wire rack. Brush the tops with butter, if desired. Let cool completely before slicing.

Notes

My pictures aren’t particularly great, but I hope you can see from them that this bread is light and soft. It doesn’t have a texture like cardboard, nor does it taste like cardboard. I love it and my kids will eat it, so this recipe is a winner!

Once the loaves have cooled completely, I place one in a gallon baggie and put it in the fridge (I usually cut off a slice and eat it first because I can’t resist, but you can skip this unless you’re also eager for a bite). This loaf stays fresh for 3-4 days. Because this bread doesn’t contain preservatives, I’m not certain how well it will last beyond this. We always eat a loaf in this time so I’ve never had a chance to find out! I wrap the second loaf in plastic wrap and drop this in another gallon baggie before placing it in the freezer. I thaw this and we use it once we’ve eaten the first loaf. It freezes well, so the second loaf is just as great as the first.

The ground flaxseed and buttermilk are completely optional. I’ve made it without them, but I like to include them because the flaxseed adds nutrients and gives it a little texture and the buttermilk enhances the flavor of the bread. You can typically purchase both of these in the baking aisle of grocery stores, but they are also available on Amazon.

One of the reasons this bread is soft and light is because of the added wheat gluten. Gluten is a general name used to refer to proteins found in wheat. When these are moistened and kneaded, they link together to form long, flexible chains. With additional kneading, these chains form an elastic, three-dimensional sheath that encloses the starches in flour. Air bubbles get trapped in these stretchy chains, helping baked good to rise and giving them a fluffy texture.

There are a few alternatives to gluten, including psyllium husk powder, which I sometimes use in this recipe. Psyllium husks are often used in gluten-free breads, but they can also be used in conjunction with gluten or instead of gluten in traditional wheat breads. Psyllium husk is a fiber that comes from a type of plantain tree. Some companies market this as a laxative, but it’s useful for many other things. When placed in water, psyllium husk creates a gummy, viscous gel. This moisture-binding property helps to create breads that are less crumbly. I’m no expert in the use of psyllium husk powder in baked goods, but I’ve experimented a bit and have found that this recipe works well using vital wheat gluten (1/4 cup), a mixture of gluten and psyllium husk (2 tablespoons gluten with 1 tablespoon psyllium husk powder), or even psyllium husk alone (2 tablespoons).

Don’t let all of these options dissuade you from trying this recipe! Give it a try using whichever optional ingredients you’d like and see what you think. Like me, you may adopt it as your go-to recipe for homemade bread!

Do you make your own bread? What do you like most about it?

Shared at the following:

Encouraging Hearts and Home, Busy Monday, Farm Fresh Tuesdays, What’s for Dinner? and Weekend Potluck.