Easy & Delicious Soaked Whole Wheat Bread
A simple, easy, and delicious soaked whole wheat bread recipe that can be incorporated into any busy person’s routine to get the most nutrition out of bread. Be sure to try my overnight Artisan bread or my homemade French bread.
- Prep Time: 16 hours 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 16 hours 50 minutes
- Yield: 2 loaves 1x
- Category: Breads
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
Scale
- 4 cups whole wheat flour*
- 1 cup whey or buttermilk, OR 1/2 cup yogurt or kefir mixed with 1/2 cup whole milk, plus 2-4 Tbsp if needed
- 1/2 cup butter, melted
- 1/4 cup warm water (105F-110F)
- 2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast
- 2 Tbsp honey
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 cup unbleached white flour, plus more for dusting
- butter, for greasing loaf pans
Instructions
- In a large bowl, or in the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the whole wheat flour, whey/buttermilk/yogurt/kefir, and melted butter. Mix with a wooden spoon until a large ball of dough forms, or mix at medium-low speed for about 60 seconds. Add an additional liquid, one tablespoon at a time, if the dough seems overly dry. Knead to combine well.
- Cover with a towel and let it sit at room temperature 12-24 hours, but at least overnight.
- When you’re ready to make bread, combine warm water, yeast, and honey in a small mug or measuring cup and allow the yeast to bloom for 5 minutes.
- Add the water/yeast/honey mixture to the soaked flour.
- Add the salt and baking soda to the soaked flour and knead by hand, or mix at medium-low speed, until the ingredients are well incorporated.
- Add 1 cup unbleached flour and knead by hand, or at medium speed, for a full 10 minutes. Add additional flour 1 Tbsp at a time if the dough is sticky past the 5 minute mark.
- Cover with a towel and let it rise for 2 hours, or until doubled in bulk.
- Dust your working surface and pour dough on top. Punch down lightly and divide into two equal pieces.
- Working with one piece at a time, knead by hand for 30 seconds and shape into a rectangle.
- Starting at the short edge, roll the dough up tightly and place into a well-buttered loaf pan, using either a 9″x5″ pan, or an 8″x4″ pan, or one of each.
- Cover both loaves with a towel and let them rise for 1-2 hours, or until doubled in size.
- Preheat oven to 350F.
- Bake loaves for 25-30 minutes, until the outside is golden brown and the bottom sounds hollow when tapped.
- Allow to cool on a rack for at least 20 minutes before slicing.
Notes
* You can substitute up to half of the whole wheat flour with another whole grain, such as spelt or kamut. However, it is best to use at least 2 cups of whole wheat flour.
Nutrition
- Calories: 635
