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Honey Whole Wheat Bread Recipe: Cracked Wheat

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This is the best Honey Whole Wheat Bread recipe ever! It  has a wholesome, nutty and slightly sweet flavor with a tender crumb and chewy bits of cracked wheat in every bite. It’s just delicious for sandwiches, toast, or just eating warm with a thick slather of butter melting into it. Although wheat bread is a little more difficult to work with than white this whole grain bread recipe is great for the beginning bread maker!. Be sure to read the whole post to get all the tips and tricks. This post has been updated from the August 2015 version.

For this recipe you’ll need: cracked wheat, whole wheat flour, bread flour, gluten, honey, buttermilk, butter, ground ginger, salt, bread pans

Best honey whole wheat bread recipe ever! Your whole family will love this nutty, chewy, slightly sweet bread recipe - easy enough for a beginner to make.RestlessChipotle.com

 

Oh my gosh the house was quiet today – the kids’ first day back at school. Even the dogs just moped around. I don’t think they’re ready for summer to be over, either. One nice thing is that with just me using the WIFI My computer is running faster than it has since last May. 7 or 8 extra people on a WIFI will cause some swampy behavior.

It was overcast all day long and we even had a cold front last week (dropped the temperatures to 87!) that made me feel like autumn was in the air. First thing in the morning you can feel a hint of a chill in the air — it’s not baking hot like it was a few weeks ago. Oh, we have a couple of months yet before it really cools down but this is nice.

With fall on the mind I am back to baking bread more. I realized that I haven’t made that much whole wheat bread for the blog — and I happened to have some whole wheat flour so I decided to make my honey whole wheat bread. If you liked the buttermilk bread recipe then you’ll likely love this as well.

How to Knead Bread By Hand Tutorial

Tips for Working with Honey Whole Wheat Bread

  • Whole wheat breads are always more dense that white breads. You can use ALL whole wheat flour if you want but the result is much more dense than when the bread flour is added – and much harder to work with. If you’re new to bread making ave the 100% whole wheat bread for when you have more experience.
  • White whole wheat flour goes by various names but it results in a lighter, more airy loaf than the regular whole wheat. You might have a harder time finding it.
  • Try letting the dough rise twice before shaping and see if you like the results better.
  • Use unsalted potato water (water that you’ve cooked potatoes in) as the liquid to help your bread rise higher.
  • Do not store your honey whole wheat bread in the refrigerator  – it will dry it out. I like to slice it, and freeze it with waxed paper between each slice.

Crust of the buttermilk honey whole wheat bread will be soft if you cover it with a tea towel as it cools. Restlesschipotle.com

Best honey whole wheat bread recipe ever! You'll love this nutty, chewy, slightly sweet bread recipeClick To Tweet

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A lot of people have asked why my bread rises so high and what I use for kneading. I use my Bosch Universal Plus Kitchen Machine for breadmaking. If you plan to do a lot of bread baking invest in a Bosch. If you can’t then use your stand mixer but knead for 3 to 5 minutes after you knead it with the machine. Thorough kneading helps develop the gluten and your bread will rise better and have a better texture. You’ll find more great products for your bread baking adventures in the Restless Chipotle & Co. Storefront!

 

Honey Whole Wheat Bread  Recipe

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5 from 3 votes

Honey Whole Wheat Bread

High, light, slight sweet loaves of cracked wheat bread are so good for sandwiches and toast! The mix of flours in the recipe ensures that the finished loaf won't be tough and crumbly.
Prep Time2 hrs 45 mins
Cook Time30 mins
Total Time3 hrs 15 mins
Course: Bread
Cuisine: American - Vintage
Servings: 20 servings
Calories: 122kcal
Author: Marye Audet

Ingredients

  • 1 cup cracked wheat or bulgur
  • 1 1/2 cups boiling water
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons active dry yeast, (see note)
  • 1 pinch powdered ginger
  • 1 teaspoon honey
  • 1/4 cup lukewarm water, (105 to 110 degrees)
  • 1 1/2 cups lukewarm buttermilk, (105 to 110 degrees)
  • 1/3 cup honey
  • 1/4 cup unsalted butter, , melted and cooled to lukewarm (105 to 110 degrees)
  • 1 tablespoon salt
  • 1/3 cup gluten flour
  • 2 cups whole wheat flour
  • 2-1/2 cups bread flour, (approximately. This is a stiff dough that will stay sticky even after kneading)
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

  • Place cracked wheat or bulgur in a bowl and pour boiling water over it.
  • Let sit for 1 hour to soften - it will almost triple when done.
  • Make sure it is no more than 110 degrees when you are ready to use it. It should just be warm to the touch when you stick your finger in the center.
  • When the cracked wheat is ready place the water, yeast, ginger, and 1 teaspoon of honey in a bowl and mix well.
  • Allow to sit until the yeast is foamy, about 10 minutes.
  • Combine the buttermilk, honey, and butter in a bowl and set aside.
  • In the mixer with the paddle attachment add the softened cracked wheat to the yeast mixture.
  • Add in the buttermilk.
  • Mix well.
  • Change to the bread attachment.
  • Blend the gluten flour, the whole wheat flour, and the salt.
  • Beat in to the yeast mixture on speed 2 for about 2 to 3 minutes.
  • Add the bread flour 1/2 cup at a time until the dough "cleans" the bowl and is a compact ball formed around the bread attachment (or dough hook).
  • Continue to knead on speed 3 until the dough is springy and firm, about 4 minutes. It will still feel slightly sticky but won't stick to your hands.
  • If kneading by hand knead for 15 minutes, or until dough feels firm and springy but still slightly sticky.
  • The dough should spring back when gently poked with your finger.
  • Butter a large bowl, and rub the ball of bread dough with butter.
  • Place the dough in the bowl, turning it once to make sure that it is buttered.
  • Cover with a clean tea towel.
  • Place in a proofing oven or warm spot until doubled (about 1 1/2 hours)
  • Punch down the dough.
  • Knead gently for a minute or two and then divide it in half.
  • Form each half into a loaf and then fit the loaves into greased 9x5 inch bread pans.
  • Brush the tops with butter.
  • Cover with the clean tea towel.
  • Let rise about 30 minutes.
  • While the loaves are rising, preheat the oven to 350F.
  • Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until loaves sound hollow when tapped.
  • Remove from oven.
  • For soft crust - brush with melted butter and cover with a tea towel for 5 minutes.
  • Let cool for 5 minutes, turn the bread out of the pans, and let finish cooling on a rack. This keeps the bottom from getting soggy. For soft crusts keep a tea towel over the bread as it cools.

Nutrition

Calories: 122kcal | Carbohydrates: 21g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 8mg | Sodium: 368mg | Potassium: 101mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 2% | Calcium: 2.7% | Iron: 4.3%

If you liked this Honey Whole Wheat Bread you may also like…

From left to right: Honey Oatmeal Bread, Old Fashioned Molasses Whole Wheat Bread, Fruit and Nut Harvest Bread – Click on the image to see the recipe.

honey oatmeal bread molasses whole wheat bread Harvest bread

Included in Meal Plan Monday #76 by Southern Bite

Let's Keep in Touch! Best honey whole wheat bread recipe ever! Your whole family will love this nutty, chewy, slightly sweet bread recipe - easy enough for a beginner to make. SO good! From RestlessChipotle.com

Comments

  1. I followed this recipe exactly and the loaves turned out beautifully! This is a fantastic recipe and the bread is so delicious! I used the cracked wheat and I was wondering if you have ever tried adding any other seeds like sunflower or flax to the bread and in what quantity? Thanks for an excellent recipe!! Greta in Ohio.

    Reply

    • It will be hard to knead and take a longer time than if you use a mixer but I’ve made it by hand. It will take about 15 minutes to knead thoroughly.

  5. 28 and 33 sounds like you bake the loaves twice
    I am hoping I take them out once and let them cool and not back in.
    They are baking right now.i am new to bread, but I made your buttermilk white loaf and it was so wonderful.thanks

    Reply

  9. Wow, this bread looks absolutely perfect! I’d love to slather down each slice with some butter and jam and devour that entire loaf! 🙂 I’ve never tried a Bosch before, let alone for bread-making, and I’m super intrigued by your recommendation – I’m definitely going to look into it, thanks!

    Reply

    • Laura – I often make 6 loaves of pure whole wheat at a time… the KA burns out really quickly. I love my KA for regular baking but it can’t hold up to a Bosch when it comes to bread.

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