This one is for you Megs: Quick and Easy 100% Whole Wheat Bread

Bread. I love bread. 

But not as much as Aaron. Or Hazel. These two are my bread eaters. They want toast for breakfast everyday of the year. Bread at dinner, and bread for a snack. Now, I like bread but not as much as these guys. And they are picky. They want fancy bread. Baguettes, pumpernickel, really anything expensive is fine with them. I can't afford to keep them bread fed. 

I'm picky about my bread too though. I grew up on homemade bread but dreamed of white sliced bread from the store. When my mom would bring this home we would eat it within the hour. I loved how I could mold my bread into a ball and pop it in my mouth or eat it on the couch and have no crumbs to hide. 

I've grown up on this subject now though. I have been married coming up on 9 years and have never ever in that time bought white sliced bread. Of course I will eat it if it is served but I no longer ball it up and pop it in my mouth all at once. I have bought all kinds of bread but have come to the conclusion that we only have 2 true bread choices for everyday in our house.

#1: Light Rye Bread (2 loaves for $5.00 at Costco. I know there is cheaper rye out there but remember my fancy bread people)

2: Homemade.

I usually make a fabulous recipe from my mom that has whole wheat flour, all purpose flour, oatmeal, sunflower seeds, and lots of other texturey goodness. (I will post this recipe soon)

My cousin Megan though has been looking for a 100% Whole Wheat Bread recipe. No seeds. No extra grains. No white flour. So I had to go on a hunt. 

I was sure I would find a recipe in my Aunts Book. Nope. Nothing 100% Whole Wheat.

I turned to the internet and found a recipe that looked so quick and easy to make I had to try it out, and I think it turned out pretty dang good. I literally had everything mixed and was letting the dough rise in less than 7 minutes (and for you bread making beginners, it will still be fast for you too).

My usual recipe makes about 7 loaves of bread. I use a bosch to mix everything and have to use my tetris skills to get the pans to fit in the oven. But last night I made a single loaf of bread. It was easy, fast and yummy when I got to eat the first slice warm out of the oven.

Quick and Easy Whole Wheat Bread

3 1⁄4 cups whole-wheat bread flour, preferably stone-ground (I wish I had stone-ground)

1 teaspoon salt

a heaping 1/2 Tbsp of Active Dry Yeast (or if you are in a hurry, instant)

2 Tbps brown sugar or clear honey (I used Honey) 

1 3⁄4 cups tepid water (Mine was much closer to warm/almost hot)

1 tablespoon white all-purpose flour to dust (If you notice in my pictures, there is no dusting of white on my bread. I skipped this)

Lightly grease a 23 x 13 cm (9 x 5 in.) loaf pan or line it with parchment paper. Set aside while you make the dough (PAM worked great for me last night).

Sift the flour into a large mixing bowl. Add salt. Stir in the yeast and make a well in the center. Stir the sugar or honey into the tepid water, then pour into the well in the dry ingredients.

Mix together, then beat vigorously with your hand (or with a wooden spoon if you prefer) for about 2 minutes or until the dough comes away from the side of the bowl; it will be very soft and sticky (I used a wooden spoon for about 2 seconds then I dove in with my hands. Play with your bread dough,It gets the air bubbles out and its fun).

Pour the dough into the prepared pan, cover with a damp dish towel and leave in a warm place for about 30 minutes or until the dough has risen almost to the top of the pan (It took much longer for my bread to rise, but I didn't use instant yeast).

I was at  his stage in less than 7 minutes

Toward the end of the rising time, preheat the oven to 400ºF (200ºC). Uncover the pan and dust the top of the loaf evenly with the white flour. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until well risen and brown. It should feel light and sound hollow when turned out of the pan and tapped on the base.

Transfer the whole-wheat bread loaf to a wire rack. Leave on the wire rack to cool (Yeah right. I was cutting this baby up within minutes of it coming out of the oven. Don't wait for it to cool! You made it which means you get to enjoy it still hot and steamy from the oven). 

 I know bread seems hard but this recipe wasn't. The trick, play with your dough and be patient and let your bread rise. Enjoy your fresh bread and feel free to bring me a slice!

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