Easy Homemade Half Whole Wheat Bread
This Easy Homemade Half Whole Wheat Bread recipe gives you a soft yet sturdy loaf of delicious bread that's easy to slice and is perfect for sandwiches and toast!
Servings: 16 slices
Estimated Calories: 93
Ingredients
- 1 cup warm water (120°F)
- 1 tablespoon milk
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1½ cups whole wheat flour
- 1 (¼-ounce) packet rapid-rise yeast (also called instant yeast or quick-acting yeast), or 2¼ teaspoons if you have a jar of yeast
- cooking spray
Instructions
- In the order listed, place all of the ingredients (except the cooking spray) in the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with the dough hook.
- Using the lowest speed, stir until no more dry flour remains, about a minute. If needed, stop the mixer occasionally and scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- Increase the speed to medium and continue mixing until the dough is smooth and elastic, about 3 to 4 minutes. This will not be a very sticky dough. Note: I usually never need to add more flour or water to this dough. After the 3 to 4 minutes of kneading, if the dough is too dry and is not coming together, add water, a tablespoon at a time. If it is too wet and loose, add more flour, a tablespoon at a time.
- Lightly spray a large bowl with cooking spray. Shape the dough into a ball (just do this with your hands without any additional flour) and place it in the bowl. Spray the top lightly with cooking spray.
- Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap, and let it rise in a warm, draft-free place until doubled in size, about 1½ to 2 hours.
- Punch the dough down and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Using your fingers, shape the dough into a rectangle about 9x11 inches in size. Be sure to press out any air bubbles that you see in the dough.
- Tightly roll up the dough longways, and then pinch the seam together.
- Fold the short sides in onto the seam; pinch all of the seams together.
- Place the dough seam side down on your floured surface and, using your hands, gently shape the loaf by patting in all of the sides until it is a uniform shape and will fit in the pan.
- Spray a bread pan lightly with cooking spray. Place the dough, seam side down, into the pan.You can use either a 9x5-inch or an 8½x4½-inch bread pan. The 9x5-inch pan will give you a wider, less-tall loaf, while the 8½x4½-inch pan will give you a slightly narrower and taller loaf.
- Cover the pan loosely with plastic wrap (you want the dough to be able to rise above the top of the pan), and let it rise in a warm, draft-free place until the dough has risen to 1 inch (no more) above the top of the pan, about 30 to 40 minutes.
- While the dough is rising, preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Carefully remove the plastic wrap from the dough. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until cooked through. The loaf should have a hollow sound when you thump the bottom of it (be careful when doing this...that bread is hot!). If you'd rather check the internal temperature, it should be 190° to 210°F at the center of the loaf.
- Immediately remove the bread from the pan, place on a wire rack, and allow to cool completely.
Recipe Notes
- Rise times given are just guidelines and can vary based on the environment in which the bread is rising (e.g. if your house is cooler, it may take longer than in a warmer house). Always go by the look of the dough rather than the time.
- No stand mixer? Knead the dough by hand until it is smooth and elastic, about 10 to 15 minutes.
- You can also use a bread machine to make the dough. Place all of the ingredients in the pan in the order listed and use the "dough" cycle. Once complete, remove from the machine and proceed with the recipe.
- If you want to use active dry yeast instead of rapid-rise yeast, you will need to reactivate it first. Change the temperature of the water to 110°F and add the yeast. Let it sit for 5 minutes, and then proceed with the recipe.
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