COLUMN: Healthy on the outside, tasty on the inside
Are you into wheat bread? Some people are. And some people definitely aren’t. We all know that wheat bread is healthier for us, right? But does anyone really know why? It has to do with the fact that they keep parts of the wheat (the bran and germ) in wheat flour that give you health benefits, such as lower risk of heart disease, diabetes and obesity.
So what about people who don’t really like that classic wheat taste or texture? I recommend trying this bread. It’s called a “transitional” wheat bread because it helps people like us transition from white bread to wheat bread by being some of each. It’s got wheat flour and white flour, it’s healthy yet still soft, it’s everything you could want in a loaf of sandwich bread.
The recipe may seem a little intimidating, but mostly it just takes planning ahead and a little patience. Making a starter and soaker the day before you make the bread adds depth of flavor and gets the moisture levels right to make a really tender bread crumb that you can’t achieve without them. This bread is delicious for all kinds of sandwiches or toasted with peanut butter or jam.
Honey Wheat Sandwich Bread
For the Starter:
1 3/4 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons milk
For the Soaker:
1 3/4 cup bread flour or all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon instant yeast
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons water
For the Final Dough:
All of the starter
All of the soaker
3 1/2 tablespoons whole wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 1/4 tablespoons instant yeast
2 1/2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon butter, melted
The day before you want to make the bread, prepare the starter and soaker.
To make the starter, in a bowl mix together all of the starter ingredients until a ball of dough forms. In the bowl knead the dough with your hand for about 2 minutes. Let the dough rest for 5 minutes, then knead it for an additional minute. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 8 hours.
To make the soaker, in a bowl combine all of the soaker ingredients and mix until a ball of dough forms. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature for 12-24 hours.
(Note: to keep things simple you can just make the starter and soaker at the same time and use them at the same time, as long as it’s been at least 12 hours.)
About 2 hours before you make the bread take the starter out of the fridge and let it sit at room temperature to take off the chill.
When the starter is ready, use a serrated knife or pastry scraper to cut both the starter and soaker into about 12 equal chunks. You can dust them with flour to keep them from sticking together.
In a mixing bowl put the starter and soaker pieces and all the other ingredients for the final dough together. Mix until the ingredients form a ball, then knead for 7-8 minutes until the dough becomes cohesive. (Note: You can do this by hand or with the hook attachment on a stand mixer).
Form the dough into a ball and place it in an oiled bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and let it rise at room temperature for about an hour, or until it is one-and-a-half times its original size.
Preheat the oven to 425 F. When the dough is ready to bake, gently press it out into a rectangle shape on a lightly floured countertop. Roll it up from one of the short ends and press the seam together with your fingers. In an oiled 9×5 loaf pan, place the rolled dough seam-side down.
Place the pan in the oven and turn the temperature down to 350 F. Bake for 20 minutes, then rotate the loaf 180 degrees and bake for 20-30 more minutes, until the loaf is a rich brown on all sides and the internal temperature is about 195 F.
Transfer the bread to a cooling rack and allow to cool for at least 1 hour before slicing and serving.
— Jennelle Clark is a senior psychology major who runs the online food blog foodislikeart.blogspot.com. She loves making, eating and sharing her food. Send comments to jenn.wilson@aggiemail.usu.edu