Whole Wheat Bread

Last year I took the plunge into making my own Pizza Dough and Hamburger Buns. And, I think I've gotten pretty good at making them. I almost prefer homemade pizza to restaurant pizza (except for Joseph's, of course!). But, a good sandwich bread has been rather elusive. I made one loaf, but it was far too dense to enjoy (read: barely edible).

I was putting away my groceries - which included a package of King Arthur Whole Wheat flour. For whatever reason, I read the blurb on the the back of the package and found a recipe for No-Knead Whole Wheat Bread. These people must know a thing or two about making a good loaf of bread, right?

I gave it a try - with the molasses. I didn't know what the heck this "Baker's Special Dry Milk" was. So, I left it out. And, I only used 1.5c whole wheat flour - with the balance being all-purpose. The bread turned out very nicely! It was quite tasty and good for schmearing some cream cheese on or making a sandwich with. The orange juice in the recipe threw me for a little loop, but you can only taste it if you know what to taste for. The bread was a little too dense for my family. I did some research on King Arthur's site and I think that "Special Dry Milk" will act like the box o' gluten I use for the hamburger buns.

No-Knead Wheat Bread
from King Arthur Flour's package of Whole Wheat flour....and website

Ingredients
1 cup lukewarm water
1/4 cup orange juice
1/4 cup melted butter or vegetable oil
3 tablespoons molasses, maple syrup, dark corn syrup, or brown sugar corn syrup
2 teaspoons instant yeast
1/4 cup Baker's Special Dry Milk or nonfat dry milk
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
3 cups King Arthur whole wheat flour, white whole wheat preferred

Directions
1) Heavily grease an 8 1/2" x 4 1/2" loaf pan. This loaf tends to stick, so be sure to grease the pan thoroughly with non-stick vegetable oil spray.

2) Combine all of the ingredients in a large bowl. Beat the mixture vigorously for about 3 minutes; an electric mixer set on high speed works well here. You should have a very sticky dough. It won't be pourable, but neither will it be kneadable. Scoop it into the prepared pan.

3) Cover the pan with lightly greased plastic wrap, and let it rise for 60 to 90 minutes; it should just about rise to the rim of the pan, perhaps just barely cresting over the rim. While the dough is rising, preheat the oven to 350°F.

4) Uncover the bread, and bake it for about 40 to 45 minutes, tenting it with aluminum foil after 20 minutes. The bread is done when it's golden brown on top, and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center registers between 190°F and 195°F. Remove it from the oven, and after 5 minutes turn it out onto a rack. Brush with melted butter, if desired; this will keep the crust soft. Cool the bread completely before cutting it.