Whole Wheat Loaves

INGREDIENTS

INSTRUCTIONS

Makes two 1 3/4-pound loaves.
There's just enough honey and malt in this recipe to bring out the natural
sweetness of the loaf's whole wheat flour. A tall crowned loaf with some
chew and stretch in the crumb, this bread has the flavor and heft to stand
up to strong cheeses and spicy cold cuts, making it first-class sandwich
fare. Like the White Loaves, these are good loaves for bread-baking tyros:
The techniques are basic, the rewards many.
Mixing and Kneading: Pour 1/2 cup of the water into the bowl of a
heavy-duty mixer fitted with a dough hood and add the yeast and honey.
Whisk to blend and allow the mixture to rest until the yeast is creamy,
about 5 minutes. Combine 3 1/2 cups of the bread flour and the whole wheat
flour and keep close at hand.
Working in the mixer with the dough hook in place, add the remaining 1 3/4
cups water, the oil, malt extract, and about half of the flour mixture to
the yeast. Turn the miser on and off a few times just to get the dough
going without having the flour fly all over the counter and then, mixing on
low speed, add the rest of the combined flours. Increase the mixer speed to
medium and beat, stopping to scrape down the bowl and hook as needed, until
the dough comes to gether. (If the dough does not come together, add up to
2 tablespoons more white flour.) Add the salt and continue to beat and
knead at medium speed for about 10 minutes, until the dough is smooth and
elastic. If you prefer, you can mix the dough in the machine for half that
time and knead it by had on a lightly floured surface for 8 to 10 minutes.
As with many whole wheat doughs, this one will be a tad sticky even after
proper and sufficient kneading.
First Rise: Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and
shape it into a ball. Place it in a large buttered or oiled bowl (one big
enough to hold double the amount of dough). Turn the dough around to cover
its entire surface with butter or oil, cover the bowl tightly with plastic
wrap, and let the dough rest at room temperature until it doubles in bulk,
about 1 1/2 hours.
Shaping the Dough: Butter two 8 1/2- by 4 1/2-inch loaf pans and set them
aside.
Deflate the dough and turn it out onto a lightly floured work surface.
Divide the dough in half and, using the palms of your hands and fingertips,
or a rolling pin, pat each half into a large rectangle about 9 inches wide
and 12 inches long, with a short side facing you. Starting at the top, fold
the dough about two thirds of the way down the rectangle, then fold again
so that the top edge meets the bottom edge; seal the seam by pinching it.
Turn each roll so that the seam is in the center of the roll, facing up,
and turn the ends of each roll in just enough so that the rolls fit in the
loaf pans. Pinch these seams to seal, turn the loaves over so that the
seams are on the bottom, and plump the loaves with your palms to get an
even shape.
Second Rise: Drop the loaves into the buttered pans, seam side down, cover
with oiled plastic wrap, and allow them to rise at room temperature until
they double in size again, growing over the tops of the pans, about 1 hour.
While the breads rise, center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to
375¡F.
Baking the Bread: When the breads are fully risen (poke your finger into a
bread; the impression should remain), bake for about 35 minutes, or until
they are golden and an instant-read thermometer plunged into the center of
the bread (turn a loaf out and plunge the thermometer through the bottom of
the bread) measures 200¡F. (If you like, 10 minutes or so before you think
the loaves should come out, you can turn the loaves out of their pans and
let them bake on the oven rack so they brown on the sides.) Remove the
loaves from their pans as soon as they come from the oven and cool the
breads on racks. These should not be cut until they are almost completely
cool.
Storing: Once completely cooled, the breads can be kept in a brown paper
bag for a day or two. Once a loaf is sliced, turn it cut side down on the
counter or a cutting board and cover with a kitchen towel. For longer
storage, wrap the breads airtight and freeze for up to a month. Thaw, still
wrapped, at room temperature.
NOTES : Recipe and Information Source: Baking with Julia Child
Posted to Bakery-Shoppe Digest by Ron West <ronwest@centex.net> Feb 19, 98

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