Whole Wheat Bread

This Whole Wheat Bread is made with 100% whole wheat flour and your favorite natural sweetener. A soft and fluffy sandwich bread that stays fresh for days!

📝 Ingredients

• 1/2 cup lukewarm water
• 1/4 cup orange juice
• 1/4 cup milk (or more water)
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1/4 cup honey (or molasses or maple syrup)
• 3 1/2 cups whole wheat flour (spooned and leveled)
• 2 1/2 tsp instant yeast (see notes if using active dry yeast)
• 1 tsp salt

👨‍🍳 Instructions

1. 1In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine all the ingredients, mix until a dough forms (see notes, if using active dry yeast or if you are a yeast newbie). Let sit for 20 minutes, this makes kneading more effective. Then knead the dough for about 8-10 minutes until smooth and elastic, it will be slightly sticky. If kneading by hand oil your hands and working surface slightly.
2. 2Transfer the dough to a greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap or a tea towel and let rise in a warm place for about 1 hour until it is puffy and nearly doubled in size.
3. 3Transfer dough to a floured work surface. Use your fingers to gently pat it into an 8×12 inch rectangle while pressing it all over to remove any air pockets. Starting at the short end, roll up the rectangle into a tight roll and pinch the seams to seal. Tuck the ends of the roll slightly under the roll to create some tension on the surface and place loaf into a greased 8×4 inch loaf pan tucked ends and seam side down. Cover with a greased piece of plastic wrap and let rise for about 45 minutes in a warm and draft-free place till the center has crowned about 1" above the rim of the pan.
4. 4Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and adjust oven rack to lower-middle position.
5. 5Bake bread for 35-40 minutes until golden brown (and the loaf registers 180 degrees F inside).
6. 6Invert bread onto a cooling rack. Reinvert loaf and rub with butter if desired for a soft, flavorful crust. Let cool completely before slicing.