Whole Wheat Milk Bread
Submitted by Jude Mac
Whole wheat milk bread: a soft, slightly sweet sandwich loaf made with milk, oil, and a mix of whole wheat and bread flour. Makes 6 small loaves. Freezes beautifully.
YIELD
18 servingsPREP
30 minCOOK
45 minREADY
2 hrsThis is a workhorse weekly baking recipe. Whole wheat milk bread is sturdy enough for sandwiches, soft enough for toast, and the recipe is generous: six small loaves at once means a week of bread for the freezer or a stack of small loaves to give as gifts.
The milk-and-oil combo is the texture key. Milk fat tenderizes the gluten, oil keeps the crumb soft for days (longer than butter would), and the result is a loaf that doesn’t dry out the way pure water-and-flour breads do. Don’t substitute water. The character of the bread depends on the dairy.
The yeast warning is real. The directions specify warm milk that’s not hot to the touch. Hot milk (above about 110°F / 43°C) kills the yeast and the bread won’t rise. Test with the inside of your wrist. Comfortably warm, not painfully hot, is the goal.
The blend of whole wheat and bread flour gives the loaves their character. Pure whole wheat produces dense, hearty bread; pure white produces a lighter sandwich loaf. The mix splits the difference: you get the nutty-grain flavor of whole wheat without the brick-like density.
The oil-rub trick on top of the rising dough is a smart move. It creates a thin barrier that prevents a dry crusty skin from forming during the rise, which would otherwise tear when you punch the dough down.
Pro Tips
- Use bread flour, not all-purpose, for the second flour. The higher protein content gives the loaf more structure and a better crumb.
- Knead until the dough passes the windowpane test: stretch a small piece thin between your fingers; if it stretches without tearing into a translucent membrane, the gluten is developed.
- Tap the bottom of a finished loaf. A hollow sound means done; a dull thud means it needs more time.
- Cool loaves on their sides on a rack to prevent the bottoms from sweating and turning soggy.
Variations
- Brush the tops with melted butter immediately after baking for a soft, glossy crust.
- Add a half cup of oats, seeds, or chopped nuts before kneading for textured bread.
- Substitute honey for the sugar for a deeper, more complex sweetness.
Ingredients
Directions
Mix all the non-flour items (make sure the milk is not too hot to the touch, or it will kill the yeast).
Mix in the whole wheat and bread flour.
Then knead in enough of the all purpose flour so that the dough does not stick appreciably to your hands (this may take 10 minutes of kneading).
Put the dough into a really large bowl, rub some oil on the top of the dough so it doesn’t get crusty (dry out) when rising.
Cover the bowl with some waxed paper (etc.) and put in a warm place.
When approximately doubled in size, form portions of dough into loaves and put in pans (This makes about 6 small loaves for me).
Put pans with dough in them in a warm place (I just put them in the oven at this point and don’t turn the gas on until its risen).
Let them rise until about doubled.
Bake at 325℉ (160℃) F for small loaves, 300℉ (150℃) F for big loaves on the bottom rack in the oven until the tops are all brown.
After taking the pans out of the oven, let cool for about 5 minutes then take the bread out of the pans and lay them on their sides on cooling racks.
When they’re cool, I put most of them in zip-lock bags and freeze them for the week.
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