White Whole Wheat Sandwich Bread

Bread, glorious bread.  I love it and could eat it at every meal.  But the bread that you buy at the grocery store, while it may taste great, is full of preservatives and other ingredients that I can't even pronounce.

You can make a basic bread (although maybe not very flavorful) with the right proportions of flour, sugar, water and a little salt.  So why do they insist on adding SO MANY other crazy ingredients?!?!

Ok, I get that they have to ship it and it does need to last a week or so for most families. But look at these labels ...

What is all that stuff??  Whatever it is, I don't want it in my bread.

I have been on a mission to get healthier.  I'm training for a race that is in less than two weeks and it would be so much easier to run long distance if I wasn't carrying so much extra weight. Bread has always been a weakness of mine (bread and ice cream are necessities!).  So if I'm going to be healthy AND eat bread, I need to eat the healthiest bread possible, right?

Well, it's a good thing that I LOVE to knead bread dough.  I do sometimes use my bread machine (Like in my recipe for Super Soft Sandwich Bread recipe) or my stand mixer (like in my Cinnamon Roll recipe). But for this simple white whole wheat bread I knead it by hand.  It only takes a total of 5 to 7 minutes of kneading and is sooooo therapeutic.

I have a few different versions of this bread and I will eventually post them all.  But for now I will post the basic version.  This recipe started with a basic recipe from King Arthur Flour.  I love their flour and do notice a difference between King Arthur and some generic brands that I have used so, if you can, go for the good stuff!

This recipe makes 2 small loaves if you make them in 9x5 loaf pans.  You could use a shorter pan and they would be taller.  Or feel free to make a free form loaf without a pan.  I have even braided it before with great results.

So, even reading...go make some bread!  This bread freezes beautifully so you can always have some on hand!

White Whole Wheat Sandwich Bread

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 30 to 35 minutes

Total time: About 2 and ½ hours

Yield: (2) 9x5 Loaves

Ingredients

• 2 cups warm water
• ¼ cup honey
• 2 ¼ teaspoons active dry yeast or instant yeast
• 3 cups white whole wheat flour
• 1 tablespoon salt
• ¼ cup coconut oil (you can sub vegetable oil)
• 3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

Instructions

1. In a large bowl combine the water, sugar, yeast, and 2 cups of the white whole wheat flour. Let the mixture rest for a few minutes until you start to see bubbles form. Stir in the remaining 1 cup white whole wheat flour, salt, and the coconut oil.
2. Stir in 2 cups of the all-purpose flour. Add ½ cup more flour and mix it in with your hands.
3. Sprinkle some of the remaining ½ cup all-purpose flour on a clean counter top or board. Place the dough onto the work surface and knead it for 5 or 6 minutes. Add a bit more flour if needed to prevent sticking.
4. Clean out your mixing bowl and coat the inside with oil.
5. Knead the dough a few minutes more until it is springy. Place it into the oiled bowl, and cover with plastic wrap.
6. Allow the dough to rise until double in size, about 1 ½ hours.
7. Gently punch down the dough and divide it in half with a bench scraper. Shape each piece into an 8" to 9" log. Place each log into a lightly greased loaf pan.
8. Cover the loaves with lightly greased plastic wrap, and let them rise for another 30 minutes.
9. While the loaves are rising, preheat your oven to 375°F.
10. Uncover the bread and bake for 30-35 minutes until the crust is golden brown. The internal temperature at the center should be about 190°F with a digital thermometer.
11. Remove the bread from the oven and transfer it to a rack to cool. Wrap completely cooled bread in plastic, and store at room temperature for several days. This bread freezes beautifully for longer storage. Do not store bread in the refrigerator because it will dry out quickly.