This is the best Whole Wheat sandwich bread ever! It is surprisingly easy to make and is perfect for sandwiches and toast!
This whole wheat sandwich bread is simple as can be โ standard, everyย ingredient with minimal work.ย The loaves of bread are soft yet firm and the slices hold up extremely well for sandwiches.ย Who says whole wheat bread has to be dense, dry, and tasteless? This whole wheat recipe gives you not only very soft but also very moist, tender and fresh, packed with the delightfully sweet taste of wheat.
It’s impossible to photograph soft, tender texture and extended shelf life. But here are few slices I broke open after a couple of days on the counter (well wrapped, of course). It’s moist, soft, and delicious. I am sure you will love the result. I used an old Japanese technique to make this bread extra soft and moist, also it increases the shelf life of bread amazingly.
What is Tangzohng?
How can you elevate your favorite sandwich bread to new levels of pillowy softness โ in one simple step? The answer: tangzhong, an Asian technique for making soft, fluffy yeast bread, involves cooking a portion of the flour and liquid in the recipe into a thick slurry prior to adding the remaining ingredients. This pre-cooking accomplishes two positive things: it makes bread or rolls softer and more tender, and extends their shelf life.ย
How to Make Whole Wheat Sandwich Bread Video?
How to Make Tangzhong?
Begin by measuring out the flour and water youโll be using in the recipe. Now take 3 tablespoons of the measured flour and 1/2 cup of the water; put them in a saucepan set over medium-high heat. Cook the mixture, whisking constantly until it forms a thick slurry; this will take about 1-1/2 to 2-1/2 minutes.
There should be no lumps in the slurry. Transfer the cooked mixture to a bowl, let it cool to lukewarm, then combine it with the remaining flour, the remaining water, and the other dough ingredients. Proceed with the recipe as directed. Well-wrapped and stored at room temperature, your finished loaf should stay soft and fresh at room temperature for at least several days.
What Tangzhong Does to the Dough?
How does this technique affect yeast dough? It pre-gelatinizes the starches in the flour, meaning they can absorb more water. In fact, the flour will absorb twice as much hot water or milk as it does the cool/lukewarm water or milk you’d usually use in yeast dough. Not only does the starch in the flour absorb more liquid; since heating the starch with water creates structure, it’s able to hold onto that extra liquid throughout the kneading, baking, and cooling processes. Which in turn means:
โข Since there’s less free (unabsorbed) water in the dough, it’s less sticky and easier to knead;
โข The bread or rolls may rise higher, due to more water creating more internal steam (which makes bread rise in the oven โ along with the carbon dioxide given off by the yeast);
โข Having retained more water during baking,ย bread and rollsย will be moister and will stay soft and fresh longer.ย
We currently have just a few recipes using tangzhong on our website; as we become more familiar with the method, we hope to add more.
How to Make the Whole Wheat Bread?
Take dry instant yeast in a small bowl and add 2 tablespoons of lukewarm water; stir to dissolve yeast. Let rest until foamy, about 2-3 minutes.
Add whole wheat flour, milk powder, and salt, in a large bowl or a bowl attached with a stand mixer and mix with a wooden spoon or hand whisk until no dry spots remain. Add vegetable oil, bloom yeast, prepared tangzhong slurry, and honey in the mixed wheat flour. The liquid sweetener you choose makes a difference. Molasses produces the darkest loaf, one with old-fashioned flavor. Honey yields a lighter, milder loaf. Attached the dough hook and knead the dough until it crumbles up.
Add lukewarm orange juice and lukewarm water little by little at a time and keep kneading until a soft dough is made. If you’re someone who tends to taste whole wheat as somewhat bitter, try substituting 1/4 cup of orange juice for 1/4 cup of the water in this recipe. A few orange juice tones down whole wheat’s somewhat tannic taste.
Why the range of water in the dough?
A lot depends on the weather, the season, and how you measure flour. You’ll need the lesser amount of water in the summer; or when it’s humid/stormy; if you measure flour by weight; or if you sprinkle your flour into the measuring cup, then level it off. You’ll need the greater amount of water in winter; when it’s dry out, and the humidity is low; or if you measure flour by dipping your cup into the canister, then leveling it off.
This dough should be soft, yet still firm enough to knead. Adjust its consistency with additional water or flour, if necessary. Transfer the dough to a lightly greased bowl or large measuring cup, cover it, and allow the dough to rise till puffy though not necessarily doubled in bulk, about 1 to 2 hours, depending on the warmth of your kitchen.
Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled work surface, and shape it into an 8″ log. Place the log in a lightly greased 9″ x 5″ loaf pan, cover the pan loosely with lightly greased plastic wrap, and allow the bread to rise for about 1 to 2 hours, or till the center has crowned about 1″ above the rim of the pan. Towards the end of the rising time, preheat the oven to 350ยฐF.
When it doubled in volume, brush egg and milk mixture over the bread and bake it in a preheated oven for 5 to 40 minutes, tenting it lightly with aluminum foil after 20 minutes to prevent over-browning. The finished loaf will register 190ยฐF on an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center. Remove from oven and brush some butter on top and let it cool down.
This will yield a soft, flavorful crust. Cool completely before slicing. Store the bread in a plastic bag at room temperature. Enjoy your every piece of the slice, either make a sandwich or toast.
You can also enjoy my Chocolate Babka Bread, Chocolate Chip Banana Bread, and The Best Double Chocolate Banana Bread.
Ingredients
For Tongzhong:
- 3 tablespoons Whole-wheat flourย
- 1/2 cup Water
For Bread Dough:
- Almost 100 grams lukewarm water* or according to the requirement
- 1/4 cup or 50 grams vegetable oil
- 1/4 cup or 85 grams honey, molasses, or maple syrup
- 1/4 cup orange juice* you can replace it with waterย
- 2 3/4 heaped cups or 371 gramsย White Whole Wheat Flour
- 2-1/2 teaspoons instant yeast, or 1 packet active dry yeast dissolved in 2 tablespoons of the lukewarm waterย
- 1/4 cup or 35 grams Dry Milk or nonfat dried milk
- 1-1/4 teaspoons salt
Instructions
For Tongzong:
- Take 3 tablespoons of the whole wheat flour and 1/2 cup of the water; put them in a saucepan set over medium-high heat.
- Cook the mixture, whisking constantly until it forms a thick slurry; this will take about 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 minutes.
- There should be no lumps in the slurry. Transfer the cooked mixture to a bowl, let it cool to lukewarm.ย
For Bread Dough:
- Take dry instant yeast in a small bowl and add 2 tablespoons of lukewarm water; stir to dissolve yeast. Let rest until foamy, about 2-3 minutes.
- Add whole wheat flour, milk powder, and salt, in a large bowl or a bowl attached with a stand mixer and mix with a wooden spoon or hand whisk until no dry spots remain.
- Add vegetable oil, bloom yeast, prepared tangzhong slurry, and honey in the mixed wheat flour. The liquid sweetener you choose makes a difference. Molasses produces the darkest loaf, one with old-fashioned flavor. Honey yields a lighter, milder loaf. Attached the dough hook and knead the dough until it crumbles up.
- Add lukewarm orange juice and lukewarm water little by little at a time and keep kneading until a soft dough is made.ย A few orange juice tones down whole wheat's somewhat tannic taste.
- This dough should be soft, yet still firm enough to knead. Transfer the dough to a lightly greased bowl or large measuring cup, cover it, and allow the dough to rise till puffy though not necessarily doubled in bulk, about 1 to 2 hours, depending on the warmth of your kitchen.
- Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled work surface, and shape it into an 8" log. Place the log in a lightly greased 9" x 5" loaf pan, cover the pan loosely with lightly greased plastic wrap, and allow the bread to rise for about 1 to 2 hours, or till the center has crowned about 1" above the rim of the pan. Towards the end of the rising time, preheat the oven to 350ยฐF.
- When it doubled in volume, brush egg and milk mixture over the bread and bake it in a preheated oven for 5 to 40 minutes, tenting it lightly with aluminum foil after 20 minutes to prevent over-browning. The finished loaf will register 190ยฐF on an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center. Remove from oven and brush some butter on top and let it cool down.
