I’m a control freak. Let me just put that out there…
No, this isn’t going to be a post about the many reasons that I should probably see a shrink and the fact that I have some serious OCD tendencies… We can talk about that later.
This post is all about making homemade bread, which stems directly from the fact that I am a control freak. In fact, I can be a bit of a food snob at times. I admit it. Like we all do, I have my guilty pleasures, but I am generally very conscious about the ingredients that I cook and bake with. You won’t find a giant tub of high fructose corn syrup hanging out in my pantry, so why would I buy products that are loaded with it? Even many of the whole wheat and “heart healthy” breads at the store are loaded with preservatives and good old HFCS. How else could they last on the grocery store shelves for a week or two?
What this isn’t about, though, is buying the fanciest and most expensive gourmet ingredients. Repeat after me:
Quality doesn’t have to be expensive.
I know that it may seem a bit pricey to get a good quality flours (I prefer King Arthur, just saying…), but think about how many loaves of bread you can make with one bag of flour! Yeast isn’t expensive, either. If you clip coupons, you will frequently find coupons for yeast packets/jars. Or, if you can find a store that sells bulk foods, you can buy a giant bag of yeast (for only a few dollars) and just stash it in your freezer. While I haven’t figured out the exact cost to make a loaf of whole wheat sandwich bread, I’m willing to bet that it’s considerably cheaper than if you were to buy a loaf of bread at a bakery. And, let’s not even talk about the long-term “cost” of buying the cheaper, lower quality breads at the store.
Ok, so now that we’re all on the same page, let’s talk about this whole wheat sandwich bread. I started with a recipe from the King Arthur Flour Whole Grain Baking Cookbook (my new favorite cookbook). I didn’t have all of the ingredients on hand, though, so I made a few substitutions and used what I had. That’s the beauty of bread-baking.
When it comes to baking bread, I still consider myself a beginner. So, I am beyond-pleased with how this bread turned out. The bread was moist with a beautiful, golden crust. Using white whole wheat flour kept both the flavor and texture of the bread light, which is what I like in a sandwich bread. The process of actually baking the bread isn’t difficult, either. I find it satisfying (and stress relieving) to knead the bread by hand, but you can you can use a mixer, if you prefer.
Have I convinced you to stop buying bread at the grocery store yet? Yup, I thought so…
Whole Wheat Sandwich Bread
(Adapted from King Arthur Flour Whole Grain Baking Cookbook)
- 2 tablespoons orange juice
- 1 cup lukewarm water
- 2 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast (or one packet)
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 1/4 cup canola oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup bread flour (King Arthur)
- 3+ cups white whole wheat flour (King Arthur)
In a large mixing bowl, combine the water and the orange juice. Sprinkle with the yeast and granulated sugar, and stir to dissolve. Add the yogurt, canola oil, salt, and cup of bread flour. Use a wooden spoon to mix, beating vigorously to start to develop the gluten in the bread flour. Gradually, add the whole wheat flour, mixing with the wooden spoon until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl to form a ball. At that point, turn the dough out onto a clean, floured surface, and knead until you have a smooth dough (about 6-8 minutes). The amount of whole wheat flour needed will vary on the humidity and other factors. Add just enough flour to keep the dough from sticking to your hands as you knead.
Return the dough to a lightly greased bowl, cover (with plastic wrap or a damp towel), and let rise until the dough has doubled (about an hour or two). It has risen sufficiently when the imprint of your fingers remains and the dough doesn’t spring back up.
Punch down the dough and form it into the shape of a loaf. If you prefer, you can make a braid-topped loaf (like the one in my pictures) by reserving 1/3 of the dough, dividing it into three long strands, and creating a braid. Place the braid on top of the loaf, tucking in the ends. Place the shaped loaf into a greased loaf pan, cover, and let rise for an additional hour.
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Bake the bread uncovered for 15 minutes, then cover with aluminum foil (to prevent over-browning on the top) and bake for an additional 20 – 25 minutes. The internal temperature of the bread should be 190°F when the bread is done.
Let the bread rest in the pan for a minute or two before transferring it to a wire rack to cool. Cool for at least 30 minutes before slicing. Enjoy!
We make our own bread-it is so much cheaper and healthier too! This loaf is GORGEOUS! You are not a beginner, you have a talent for bread baking indeed!
Bautiful bread! Love the top braid!! You did it perfectly, too. It is not too tight and the strands are even! Great job!
Oh my oh my. This looks absolitely incredible. You are so right. There are so many things we can make at home that are high quality AND healthy AND are inexpensive.
Beautiful loaf of bread!! Picture perfect!!
This looks fabulous! I love how your braided the top. Gorgeous.
That bread is breathtaking! I have never seen a braid laid on the top like that…brilliant! Thank you for sharing your expertise.
This is my very favorite bread. I used to make it every week. Yes, a loaf of this, wrapped in plastic wrap as KAF describes to, stays fresh for a week.
I’m curious why you swapped out some of the whole wheat for bread flour. It’s an amazing bread as written in the cookbook with 100% whole wheat.
Lovely braiding!
Amy – I guess I swapped out some of the whole wheat for bread flour out of habit. I wasn’t sure of the texture since I left out the powdered milk and potato flakes, so I decided to play it on the safe side with a little bit of bread flour since that’s what I know. I will try it with 100% whole wheat next time!
The cup of bread flour is a good addition because I find the texture of pure whole wheat flour breads to be overly dense. This bread is lighter and fluffier.
I baked this bread recipe with a few modifications, I left out the OJ as I didn’t have any on hand, and also substituted half a cup of water with whey that I had drained from homemade yogurt. Turned out really good.
Sing it Sister! THANK YOU! I wish people would just TRY making a loaf of bread once and while. I think many people would be surprised to find they might enjoy it and love the results even more! Your bread is absolutely stunning!
For a beginner you’re doing fabulous. Once you start baking bread, you can’t get enough of it. That’s what happened to me. Oh, I also love using King Arthur flour, too.
Your a natural talent! That’s a gorgeous loaf of bread! The braid is just perfect.
I love making bread, but have never used Greek yogurt. I like that. Nice loaf!
It’s been a while since I baked my own bread, and I should do that more. Your photos alone make me want to make one now. At midnight.
What a very interesting sandwich bread recipe — one that uses greek yogurt, which I love and always have, just like butter. Yummy. I hope I have time to make it this weekend. :)
Braided top and everything…WOW! You were born to bake bread girl!
This is the most loveliest loaf of bread I’ve ever seen! Wow! I can’t believe you consider yourself to be a beginner. Thank you for the process photos! Excellent photos1
Wow it looks amazing!
That’s a beginner bread? It looks awesome. I so agree with you that quality ingredients doesn’t have to be expensive. There’s nothing like fresh bread baking in your oven. Great pictures.
The bread is beautiful! We use a bread machine much of the time. I really need to make it the old fashioned way more often. It is so worth the effort!
You’re bread looks beautiful and amazing! Daniel and I have stopped buying bread for the exact reason you describe, the cost and “cost,”and more or less make a batch during the weekend to last us the week. This one looks like a winner!!!
Jen, it looks simply delicious, healthy and amazing!
Delicious bread and I just love the gorgeous braid on top!
Well, will you just look at that gorgeous loaf? Doesn’t look like any old sammich bread I’ve seen! It’s beautiful. And it looks like the perfect consistency. Not beginner bread at all, if you ask me!
So, now, any tips on slicing bread for sandwiches? Whenever I make bread, I’m always disappointed that I can’t get a finer, thinner slice out of my loaf!
lo – Unfortunately, I don’t really have any great tips for getting thin slices. Of course, you will want to cut the bread until it is cooled. After that, I use a sharp, serrated knife. Anyone else have any good bread cutting tips?
Jen,
This bread is BEAUTIFUL–wowee!
Wow!! Beautiful! I’m impressed!
I also have the King Arthur Whole Grain baking book and I also admit to being a food snob about the ingredients that go into the food I eat. I also made this bread, but mine didn’t rise quite so high (maybe because of the extreme cold we’re having in New England?) but it was definitely delicious. I didn’t attempt the braid but yours look so beautiful I may have to try baking it again with the braid.
I would be beyond pleased with that loaf of bread, too! That is gorgeous! I could just see it cooling in the window of a bakery… mmm…
Lovely bread! Bookmarked and will make this for sure!
wow i like to eat this on breakfast looks amazing
This is an absolutely gorgeous loaf of bread and the braiding makes it really special. I am truly inspired!
Just beautiful Jen! I am sooo afraid of bread but I have joined the Healthy Bread in 5 challenge and hope to learn a thing or two…
Jen, that is beautiful! I am so happy to say that I made my first successful loaf of sandwich bread yesterday!! Such a great feeling :D
That bread is beautiful! I’m going to try to make it, but I’m not sure it will be as nice as yours!
Wow, this bread looks amazing. I have been trying to make different kinds of breads, and this is definitely next on my list!
Fun! I make all my bread, but I have never tried a braid before. I’m making this one right now. Thanks for sharing!
You are totally right! And this bread is just beautiful.
You really can’t beat homemade bread. We’ve been making all of our bread for years. This winter I’m focusing on the perfect sourdough artisan loaf. Needless to say, we’ve been enjoying a lot of delicious sourdough this winter.
Forgot to mention, love the braid on top of the loaf, I usually make mine plain. I’ll have to dress mine up next time, thanks for the inspiration.
This looks delicious! I’d like to try it tonight but I have two questions: what’s the orange juice for? Can I do without? and I don’t have greek yogurt, do you think I can use sour cream as a replacement? Thanks so much!
Leah – The acidity of the orange juice works well when using whole wheat flours, but isn’t necessary. You won’t taste it in the bread, but it takes some of the “earthy” flavor out of the whole wheat. You can just substitute water, if you prefer. And, for the Greek yogurt, sour cream or plain yogurt would both be fine replacements.
That’s one beautiful loaf! And your pictures of it are gorgeous – love the colorful sandwich. Thanks for your kind words about our book and flour – PJ Hamel, King Arthur Flour baker/blogger
This is so good! I used regular unbleached white flour (KAF) instead of the bread flour, and honey in place of the sugar. And I didn’t have any orange juice. :) Anyway, this tastes wonderful. I let it over-rise, so it collapsed a bit in the middle, but I will watch it more closely on the second rise next time. Very excited to have a good sandwich loaf. Thank you!!!
Oh my god!! what a beautiful bread!!!
hello,
i love love love the braid on top (i have a thing for braids). i attempted this particular bread on sunday and it did not rise like yours did, much to my utter disappointment. i will try this again, as the texture & taste were great. thank you for posting this!
I’ve never had good luck with yeast but I am sure going to give this bread a try. It looks beautiful. One question- where did you get the thermomter in your picture? I’m curious to know if they have it in red to match my kitchen.
Hi, Hilda –
I hope that the bread works for you… It’s a great “starter” recipe for baking yeast breads, and I have had great success with it!
I believe that I bought the thermometer at Williams-Sonoma, but you can find them just about anywhere. If you’re looking for a specific color, I’d just search the “instant read thermometers” on Amazon.com.
Your loaf looks so good…especially with that braided top! That’s a wonderful idea, and I think I’ll try it…along with the recipe. :) Thanks for sharing it by the way! :)
I don’t buy bread. Once in a blue moon I’ll pick up a loaf at a bakery, but that’s very rare. I love making bread more than any other aspect of cooking and baking. Something about feeling the dough in my hands, kneading it, and smelling it as it’s baking in the oven is just so comforting. Of course, eating it fresh from the oven and covered in butter…so exquisite. :)
Store bought bread doesn’t even compare to homemade. And all the preservatives and crap they add to it isn’t good for us.
Anyway, you don’t sound like a food snob to me…just someone who’s conscientious about what she’s eating. And we should be. After all, we are what we eat. :)
Wow, what a beautiful loaf of bread! I never thought about making a braid for a regular sandwich bread but it is breathtaking. I started baking my own bread about 9 months ago and it’s so much better than what you buy! When I’m in a pinch and haven’t planned ahead it’s really hard for me to break down and buy a loaf at the store. This recipe is going on my list to make. Does the recipe yield one loaf? What size of pan did you use?
April – I love the way the braid looks on the top of the sandwich bread… It’s so easy, so I do it a lot! The recipe yields one loaf, and I use a 9 by 5-inch bread pan (pretty “standard” size).
This looks gorgeous–does it matter if the yogurt is no fat? Or, does it help to have 2% or higher? Thanks!
Jill – I think that no fat yogurt would be fine. The extra fat certainly will help to keep the bread a bit more moist, especially after a day or so, but I don’t think it would make a considerable difference.