Honey-Wheat Bread

Today we're going to bake bread! Bread takes some time to make from scratch, but a lot of it is hands-off - you do the next step, and then leave it alone for a while - perfect for our COVID-19 lifestyle right now since we're spending a lot of time at home.

This is a recipe I adapted from Kindergarten Honey-Wheat Bread at parents.com. I've halved it and decreased the amount of whole wheat from half to just a quarter of the total amount of flour based on my kids' input. You can make one regular-sized loaf or several rolls - up to you! 

And if you're worried you won't be able to eat all that delicious bread in a day or two, check out A Beautiful Plate's post about freezing and refreshing bread.

Printable version here

INGREDIENTS

• 2 1/2 tsp. (8 grams) instant yeast
• 1 1/3 cups (300 grams) warm water (Warm it in the microwave for about 20 seconds to get it between 80-90F. The water will feel warm but not hot.)
• 3 cups (375 grams) all-purpose flour, plus more for your work surface and kneading
• 1 cup (125 grams) whole-wheat flour
• 2 tsp. (10 grams) salt
• 2 1/2 T. (25 grams) any kind of oil (I used olive oil)
• 1/4 cup honey (60 grams)

Optional topping for the bread before baking:

• 1 egg
• 1 T milk

DIRECTIONS

Measure or weigh out your ingredients. Warm up your water.

If you have a kitchen scale, weigh out your ingredients. Otherwise measure them using your dry and liquid measuring cups. Warm your water in the microwave for about 20 seconds. The water should feel warm but not hot if you put a (clean) finger in to test it. Naturally, if you have a food thermometer, use that.

Mix the ingredients.

Pour your warm water into a large bowl. Sprinkle your yeast over it and mix briefly. Once the water has absorbed the yeast, add the flour and then the salt on top of the flour. (Don't add the salt first - it will hurt your yeast.) Then add the oil and the honey. Mix by hand, spoon, or use a dough scraper until the dough is wet but firm. You can knead it briefly to get the dough mixed thoroughly and into a ball.

Dough resting for 30 min

Let the dough relax for 30 minutes with a towel covering the bowl. This will let the flour absorb the water, and make it easier to knead the dough.

Knead the dough.

After half an hour, the bread is ready to be kneaded. This will develop the gluten in the dough which will help it rise, and give it that texture we love. Split up your dough with a knife or bench scraper if you'd like to let multiple folks do the kneading at the same time. I split the one in the photos into three pieces. Then knead it for about five to ten minutes on a clean surface dusted with flour. To knead the dough, use the heels of your hands to push into the center of the dough and then push it away from you. Then pull about half back toward you, folding it in. Give it a quarter turn and repeat. As you're kneading, you may need to sprinkle more flour if the dough starts feeling sticky. Don't worry about how much extra flour you may need. That's normal. Knead until the dough is smooth, and feels tighter and
elastic. (Here's a quick how-to video by King Arthur Flour.)

Shape the dough.

Shaped and ready for the 90 minute rise

Now it's time to shape your dough into its final shapes.* You can make one regular-sized loaf, up to 12 rolls, or anything in between. This dough is very forgiving. I made a small round boule, a small oblong loaf, and two larger rolls. 

Let the dough rest for 90 minutes.

Put a clean towel over it, and leave it in a warm place like on top of your stove or kitchen counter. If your house is colder than 70F, you can turn on your oven to 200F  for 2 min, turn it off, and then pop it in there to rise.

Bake your bread.

After 90 minutes: twice the size,
glazed, and sliced on top

About an hour into the resting period, preheat your oven to 375F. Once the resting time is up, check your bread and make sure it has risen to about twice its size. If not, you can let it rest further for another 30 minutes. Whisk together the egg and milk for the top if you'd like to give it a darker, shinier finish. Brush the mixture on top of the bread. You may also slash the bread for design and to allow it to expand further in the oven. Bake the loaves for 30-45 minutes depending on their sizes. They should be golden brown and sound hollow when thumped with your fingers. Cool for at least 30 minutes.

Enjoy!!

How was your bread baking experience? Do you like how it came out? What did you learn? Would you do anything different next time? Feel free to comment below!

*We're skipping one of the resting/rising steps here. Refer to the original recipe if you'd like to add it back in. The link is in the introduction at the top.