Wow. Hands down, this has got to be my favorite recipe this year! Makes the BEST sandwich bread! My favorite way to eat it, is toasted, and then slathered with some peanut butter and a side of banana...YUMMY IN MY TUMMY!! No more store bought, whole grain bread for me! And dare I say...I think this bread tastes BETTER than Dave's Killer Bread?!? MAYBE. It may not have all of the fancy grains that they use, but hey, from-scratch whole grain bread and knowing EXACTLY what went in it--I'd say you're winning either way!
INGREDIENTS:
2 1/2 cups of hot water
1/4 cup of olive oil
1/3 cup of maple syrup
2 Tablespoons of unsalted melter butter
2 Tablespoons of sugar
2 cups of hard red wheat flour (I prefer Bob's Red Mills)
2 Tablespoons of active dry yeast
2 1/4 cups of hard white wheat flour (I prefer King Arthur Flour) plus additional 1 to 1 1/2 cups more
1 cup of ground steel cut oats
1/4 cup of vital wheat gluten
1 Tablespoon of sea salt
YOU WILL ALSO NEED:
coconut oil cooking spray
parchment paper
2 loaf pans
INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Place the first five ingredients into your stand mixer (or LARGE mixing bowl if doing by hand), and stir using a spatula.
2. Add in your red wheat flour, mix well, and allow this to sit for 10-15 minutes to help cool down the dough a bit before adding in your yeast.
3. Add in your yeast. With your dough hook attachment, turn mixer on to "stir" for about 30 seconds.
4. In a separate mixing bowl, add in your hard white wheat flour, ground steel cut oats, and vital wheat gluten.
5. With your stand mixer on "stir" slowly incorporate the rest of your flour mixture. Mix for 1 minute and then add in your sea salt.
6. Add in additional white wheat flour, 1/4 cup at a time, until dough stops sticking the sides of the bowl and starts clumping up under your dough hook attachment. Dough should remain slightly wet and sticky. (I usually add an additional 1/2 cup to 3/4 cup depending on the humidity.)
7. Dump your dough onto a clean and floured surface. With floured hands, quickly knead the sticky dough to create somewhat of a smooth ball.
8. Place the wet dough into a mixing bowl that has been sprayed with coconut oil cooking spray. Spray the top of the dough as well and then place a piece of saran wrap DIRECTLY on top of the surface of the dough to prevent a crust from forming. Allow the warm dough to rest in a warm, draft-free place until doubled in size (about 30 minutes).
9. Place dough on a clean, floured surface and use the fold-over method to remove air bubbles. DO NOT PUNCH IT. Gently poke it with your fingers and begin to knead the dough, pulling it up and over itself until it's smooth and about the same size as it was before it doubled in size.
10. Divide dough in half and shape into loaves. (Watch my video below to see how I do it.)
11. Place shaped loaves into bread pans that have been sprayed with some coconut oil and then lined with a piece of saran wrap for easy removal.
12. Cover loaf pans with a clean dish towel and let them rise until they are about 1/4 inch to 1/2 inch above the bread pans and nicely domed at the tops--about an hour. Watch them closely, because you can OVERPROOF them.
13. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for about 30-35 minutes or until tops are golden brown and when tapped on the bottom, sound hollow.
14. Let the finished bread sit in the pan for 5 minutes and then run a spatula around the edges to make sure the bread comes out in one piece. Place on wire rack to cool COMPLETELY before slicing, at least 1 hour.
NOTES:
-You may choose to roll your loaves in some toasted oats, and sunflower or pumpkin seeds AFTER you've shaped them for their final rise. Just spay the loaves in a bit of coconut oil spray first so that they adhere better. My kids always pick those off so I choose to leave them out. :)
-I purchase steel cut oats in the bulk section at my local grocery store. I place the oats into a blender and pulse until smooth.
-This bread stays nice and soft on the counter FOR DAYS. I wrap up the bread in saran wrap, cover with a layer of foil, and then place it into a grocery bag with a tight knot. Not the prettiest packaging for it, but it gets the job done.
-This bread freezes well! Wrap the loaf tightly first and then freeze for later use.
-Make sure your water isn't too hot before adding your yeast--you don't want to kill it!
-Don't use old yeast. I write the date (month and year) on the caps of my yeast jars so I know how long I've had it. I typically will replace my yeast every 6 months.
