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Buttermilk Honey Cracked Wheat Bread

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Buttermilk Honey Cracked Wheat Bread is nutty and slightly sweet with a tender crumb and chewy bits of cracked wheat in every bite. It’s great for sandwiches, toast, or just eating warm with a slather of butter melting into it. Although wheat bread is a little more difficult to work with than white this bread is great for the beginner, too.

Butermilk Honey Cracked Wheat Bread is nutty and slightly sweet with chewy pieces of cracked wheat to give it a rustic texture. The bread rises high and light and isn't crumbly or dense. Restlesschipotle.com

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 buttermilk honey cracked wheat bread. If you liked the buttermilk bread recipe then you’ll likely love this as well.

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

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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 and my KitchenAid Stand Mixer for cakes and regular baking. I don’t think that the KitchenAid handles bread very well — and especially not heavy loaves like wheat breads are. 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.

And, if you’ve always wanted to learn to make great bread but were either afraid or never could get it to work out right you might like my book, Bread Bootcamp: It’s Not a Cookbook…It’s an Adventure. It’s an incremental approach to bread baking and if you follow it as written you’ll be making gorgeous loaves of bread in no time.

Print
Buttermilk and Honey Cracked Wheat Bread
Prep Time
2 hr 45 mins
Cook Time
30 mins
Total Time
3 hr 15 mins
 
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.
: Bread
Servings: 2
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 of powdered ginger
  • 1 teaspoon of 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
  • 21/2 to 3 cups bread flour (approximately. This is a stiff dough that will stay sticky even after kneading)
Instructions
  1. Place cracked wheat or bulgur in a bowl and pour boiling water over it.
  2. Let sit for 1 hour to soften - it will almost triple when done.
  3. 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.
  4. When the cracked wheat is ready place the water, yeast, ginger, and 1 teaspoon of honey in a bowl and mix well.
  5. Allow to sit until the yeast is foamy, about 10 minutes.
  6. Combine the buttermilk, honey, and butter in a bowl and set aside.
  7. In the mixer with the paddle attachment add the softened cracked wheat to the yeast mixture.
  8. Add in the buttermilk.
  9. Mix well.
  10. Change to the bread attachment.
  11. Blend the gluten flour, the whole wheat flour, and the salt.
  12. Beat in to the yeast mixture on speed 2 for about 2 to 3 minutes.
  13. 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).
  14. 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.
  15. If kneading by hand knead for 15 minutes, or until dough feels firm and springy but still slightly sticky.
  16. The dough should spring back when gently poked with your finger.
  17. Butter a large bowl, and rub the ball of bread dough with butter.
  18. Place the dough in the bowl, turning it once to make sure that it is buttered.
  19. Cover with a clean tea towel.
  20. Place in a proofing oven or warm spot until doubled (about 1 1/2 hours)
  21. Punch down the dough.
  22. Knead gently for a minute or two and then divide it in half.
  23. Form each half into a loaf and then fit the loaves into greased 9x5 inch bread pans.
  24. Brush the tops with butter.
  25. Cover with the clean tea towel.
  26. Let rise about 30 minutes.
  27. While the loaves are rising, preheat the oven to 350F.
  28. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until loaves sound hollow when tapped.
  29. Remove from oven.
  30. For soft crust - brush with melted butter and cover with a tea towel for 5 minutes.
  31. 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.

If you liked Buttermilk Honey Cracked Wheat Bread you may also like…

5 Ingredients to Make Your Bread Rise Higher

Old Fashioned Whole Wheat Oatmeal Bread

No Knead Whole Wheat Bread Jo Cooks

Outback Copy Cat Honey Whole Wheat Bread Gather for Bread

Buttermilk Honey Cracked Wheat Bread is nutty and slightly sweet with a light crumb and chewy bits of cracked wheat throughout. It's a great bread for everything from sandwiches to french toast. Restlesschipotle.com

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Comments

  2. 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

  6. 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.

      Reply

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