Fresh Milled Wheat Bread
This fresh milled wheat sandwich bread is soft, fluffy, and delicious! Made from fresh ground hard white wheat berries, your whole family will love the flavor and texture of this easy-to-make bread.
Servings: 12
Calories: 179kcal
Cost: $3
Equipment
- Kitchenaid Mixer recommended for kneading
- Bread Pan
- Grain Mill or other method for milling grain
Ingredients
- 500 grams white whole wheat berries roughly 2 1/4 cups berries
- 290-320 milliliters water about 1 1/4 cups, measured by weight: 290-320 grams
- 1 whole egg
- 1 egg yolk
- 2 tablespoons honey 42 grams
- 1 tablespoon olive oil 14 grams
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice 15 milliliters/grams
- 10 grams sea salt about 2 tsp
- 2 1/4 teaspoon quick rise yeast
Optional
- 1/2 teaspoon butter optional--for crust after baking
Instructions
- Mill your wheat berries into a fine flour. Place flour in a mixing bowl.500 grams white whole wheat berries
- Add the rest of the ingredients except for the salt and yeast. For the water, start with the lower measurement, and increase if you think your dough can handle a little more hydration. See notes for more info. Mix everything together until combined, and then let sit for 30-45 minutes.290-320 milliliters water, 1 whole egg, 1 egg yolk, 2 tablespoons honey, 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- After the rest period, sprinkle the salt and the instant yeast on top of the dough. Using the dough hook on the mixer, mix the salt & yeast into the dough.10 grams sea salt, 2 1/4 teaspoon quick rise yeast
- Knead the bread dough (I use speed 2 on my Kitchenaid) for about 10 minutes until the dough passes a window pane test (see picture below, or watch my video if needed).
- Cover the dough and let it do its first rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 1/2 hours.
- Punch the dough down and scoop it out of the bowl onto a clean work surface. If you flour it, do so very lightly as you do not want to add much more flour to the loaf. Flatten the dough into a rectangle about the length of your bread pan. Tri-fold the edges of the dough rectangle, then roll the dough up to shape into a loaf (see video if needed). Pinch the ends of the dough. Place it in the bread pan seal-side down. Cover and do a second rise until puffy, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
- Toward the end of the second rise, preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Bake for 40 minutes or until the bread reaches an internal temperature of at least 190°F. Spread about 1/2 tsp butter on top of the hot crust if desired for softness. Let bread cool before slicing.1/2 teaspoon butter
Video
Notes
The lower amount of water (290 milliliters/grams) is recommended if this is your first time making this loaf. Gradually adding a little more water, up to 320 milliliters/grams, can increase the hydration of the loaf which has many benefits--a puffier, softer loaf and a better oven rise, among others. However, high hydration doughs are more challenging to work with. They can be very challenging to handle and shape, and hard to knead. Only increase the water when you're feeling more confident.
Common Issues:
- Dough Rises Too Much: Do not let the dough proof too long--you should always go by the dough's readiness, not by the clock. Proof in a cooler location if needed.
- Dough Too Sticky or No Window Pane:
Your dough may have too much moisture (too much water, or your house may be more humid), or your wheat might be lower in protein. Here are a couple things to try to bring your dough together:
- Ditch the mixer-With wet hands, hand knead or do stretches & folds. Sticky dough responds better to this over a mixer
- If that doesn’t work, add 1/4-1/2 cup more flour and continue to hand knead.
Nutrition
Calories: 179kcal | Carbohydrates: 33g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 30mg | Sodium: 333mg | Potassium: 77mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 47IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 34mg | Iron: 1mg
