Brown Bread (Wheat)
The name – brown bread
I suppose this bread is called brown bread because it has whole wheat flour and honey in it. This recipe also includes milk and butter. There is white flour in this bread, but it has a greater wheat flavor than white.
I know that bread recipes with milk tend to make a softer dough. I think adding butter instead of oil helps the flavor and texture also. This recipe also has honey included, so the sweetness is a more natural flavor.
I found this recipe in an old 97-year-old cookbook and adapted it to my liking. The directions say you can substitute brown sugar for honey. I think that’s a lot of sugar. It also does not give directions for temperature or baking time, so I had to figure that out. Most wheat breads bake better in a hotter oven (375-450). Choosing a temperature depends on the type of oven you have: convection, gas, standard. You know if your oven bakes hotter or cooler than the temperature it is set, so adjust it accordingly.
Let it rise and punch it down
There’s something special about watching the bread you mixed up a few hours earlier stick its head out of the tub. First it peeks a little, barely lifting the cloth covering the dough. Then, while nobody is watching, it pushes its head right over the top, wishing to slide down the side. That’s when I show up, lift the cloth cover, and punch it down.
Bread rises best when there is no draft and when the room is not cool. I usually put my bowl of dough on top of my toaster, just under the lights under my top cupboards. The dough is covered with a light tea towel, helping prevent any draft from blowing across its top.
the good of this recipe
Whole wheat flour has more fiber, helping prevent constipation. It is also rich in nutrients. Compared to white flour, whole wheat flour helps control blood sugar. Whole wheat flour makes a person feel full longer, so it can help with weight loss and food intake. It can also help lower your cholesterol. Keep in mind, however, that eating a slice of whole wheat bread once a week or month is not going to affect your body like it will if you consume it regularly.
Whole wheat flour makes it a brown bread. Remember that when you are baking the bread. Just because it gets brown does not mean it is completely baked inside.
The recipe for brown bread
Brown Bread
Ingredients
- 1 1/3 cups milk
- 1 cup honey
- 1 Tbsp salt
- 2/3 cup butter (10 Tbsp.)
- 3 cups lukewarm water
- 1 Tbsp salt
- 6 Tbsp yeast
- 5-6 cups whole wheat flour
- 5 cups flour
Instructions
- Dissolve sugar and yeast in warm water (110-115 degrees)
- In separate bowl, melt butter, then add milk and honey and warm in microwave for about a minute - just enough to warm the milk and honey
- In mixer, add yeast mixture and milk/honey/butter mixture together and mix
- Add whole wheat flour, mixing well
- Add one cup white flour at a time until it forms a soft dough
- Knead well (by hand) or by mixer until dough is smooth and elastic
- Place into greased bowl, cover and let rise
- Punch down and let rise again
- Shape into 6 loaves - prick with fork (optional)
- Let rise again
- Bake in 400 oven for 30-40 minutes
