Why Bother? 2012 - Sandwich Bread (Part 2)

I have been eating whole wheat bread since I was a little Wilde one.  Our freezer was always stocked with loaves and loaves of bread.  Sandwiches were always a part of my daily school lunches. 

These days I rarely make myself a sandwich for lunch, but I do like a slice of toasted wheat bread, topped with a thin layer of peanut butter. 

The recipe that I went with for my whole wheat experiment came out just like the bread from my childhood days.  With a hint of sweetness and a whole lot of whole grains, this bread may tempt me to head to the deli and make a sandwich.


One Year Ago: Chocolate Taffy
Two Years Ago: Soy-Lemon Broccoli

Whole Wheat Sandwich Bread

Adapted from Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day

The health factor of this bread really caught my eye.  The combination of whole wheat flour, wheat germ and rye flour, give this bread a great flavor and texture.  Slice it thin and you've got a great base for a healthy sandwich.

This recipe will make two tall loaves of bread.  I actually made a half batch of this dough which is why you see my dainty, short loaves of bread!

3 cups lukewarm water
1 1/2 tbsp active dry yeast
1 tbsp plus 1 tsp Kosher salt
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/4 cup rye flour
1/2 cup wheat germ
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 3/4 cups whole wheat flour

Combine water, yeast, salt, honey and butter in a large bowl.  Add rye flour, wheat germ, all-purpose flour and wheat flour and mix until all of the flour is incorporated.  Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let dough rise for 2 hours.  At this point you can cover the dough and place it in the fridge, for use over the week.  Or use the dough right away.

Coat two loaf pans with cooking spray.  Divide the dough in half and dust with flour.  Shape dough into a ball, stretching the surface of the dough around from top to bottom, to form a tight ball.  Shape dough into an oval and place in loaf pan.  Do the same with the other piece of dough.  Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let dough rise for 40 minutes (or for 1 hour 40 minutes, if dough has been in the fridge). 

With 20 minutes left to rise, place a broiler pan in the oven and preheat oven to 400 F.  Once time is up, place pans in the oven and add 1 cup of water to the broiler pan.  Close the oven door and bake for 50 minutes, or until dark brown.

Remove from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes on a wire rack.  Remove from the pans and let cool completely before slicing and making a sandwich.