For the past several months, I've been doing most of my co-op volunteer shift (Kokua Market in Honolulu) writing a newsletter. There's a short weekly newsletter, with rotating topics including Local Product Feature, Seasonal Produce Alert, Mystery Ingredient, and DIY: Recipe. Although brief, the DIY: Recipe newsletters take the most work, because I test the recipes first (sometimes several times). So far, the recipe that has taken the longest to test is the one several co-op members have wanted the most - a truly 100% whole grain bread. I was skeptical, but Peter Reinhart's "epoxy method" looked promising.
For the Kokua News, I've tinkered with a basic recipe so that it uses ingredients regularly stocked at Kokua Market, and that seems to work well with the general climate here. It helps to already have some experience with bread baking and a familiarity with what a dough will look and feel like - in this case, you want a slightly sticky dough, and an eye for when it has risen enough. The biggest changes are that I use more water, and no sugar. The stoneground flour has a nice flavor and texture, but takes more water to make a workable dough, and I find the natural sweetness to be just right (with sugar, it's just too sweet for my taste). I recommend using a bread machine or a stand mixer with a dough hook; it's possible to do this by hand, but the amount of kneading it takes to develop the gluten and lighten the texture is considerable. Peter Reinhart's Whole Grain Breads (note: this is an affiliate link, and so is the one below) is a fantastic resource, and he's got another book that features sprouted grains coming out soon that I'm looking forward to. This recipe makes a good basic bread for sandwiches and toast.
100% Whole Wheat Bread (stoneground whole wheat flour)
An adaptation of a Peter Reinhart recipe
This recipe needs to be started at least 12 hours before baking. I've tried cutting the time down to 6 hours, and while the results were edible, the bread had a slight bitterness to it. If you are using sugar (up to 2 Tbs.), that might be enough to offset that bitterness, if you like a sweeter bread. This recipe uses dairy (butter and milk); I plan to try a non-dairy version now that I'm happy with this version. Buttermilk or whey drained off of yogurt works well as a milk substitute, if you happen to have it on hand. Depending on how warm your kitchen is, you may want to limit the time the soaker spends at room temperature or put it in a cooler with a small ice pack to keep the temperature between 65 - 75 degrees F to keep it from spoiling or going rancid.
Soaker: mix and let sit, covered, at room temperature for 12 - 24 hours
1 3/4 cup stoneground whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup water
1 Tbs lemon juice
Sponge: mix and let sit, covered, in a refrigerator for 8 - 12 hours
1 3/4 cup stoneground whole wheat flour
1/4 tsp instant baking yeast
3/4 cup milk
1 Tbs lemon juice
About 5 hours before you want a finished loaf, take the sponge out of the refrigerator and let it sit at room temperature. About 3 hours before you want a finished loaf, cut the soaker and sponge into small pieces (I just scoop it out of the containers with a spoon) and combine with:
4 tsp. Vital Wheat Gluten
2 tsp. instant baking yeast
3/4 tsp. salt
1/3 cup stoneground whole wheat flour
2 Tbs. oil or butter
1 Tbs. flax seeds (optional)
1 Tbs. sesame seeds (optional)
If you are using a bread machine, put the soaker, sponge, and additional ingredients in the machine and use the "basic" setting for a 2 lb. loaf (if the machine has a whole-wheat setting, ignore it - I find that the rising time is too long for this dough).
If you are making this by hand or with a mixer: Knead for at least 10 minutes by hand, or in a stand mixer with a dough hook. You may need to let the dough rest (about 5 minutes) after the first few minutes to get it kneadable. Let this rise in a bowl, loosely covered with a clean dish towel (or plastic wrap), until doubled in size (about an hour). Press down gently to release the built-up gases, shape into a loaf, and place into a greased bread pan (4 x 8 1/2"). Preheat the oven to 425 F (because the dough can rise faster than you think, better to preheat the oven a bit longer than risk the bread rising too long). Let it rise until about 1 1/2 times original size (usually at least 45 minutes, but if it's a warm day, could be as little as 30). Bake for 40 - 50 minutes, until well browned (if you have a cooking thermometer, use it - bread is done when the center reaches 195 F). Turn out onto a rack to cool, and give it at least an hour before slicing.
