Honey Whole Wheat Bread (bread machine)

I decided to make another loaf of bread in my bread machine this past weekend. I don't really use it enough and have made a promise to myself that I will use it more often this year!

This weekend I baked a lovely Honey Whole Wheat Bread in it.  I adapted the recipe from one which I found in a book called The Ultimate Bread Machine Cookbook, by Tiffany Dahle.  Every recipe that I have baked from the book has been superior.

I have it on my kindle, but it is such a good book I think I am going to buy myself the hard copy.

 

I actually boo-booed when I made this loaf. Somehow, I must have set it up for the dough cycle rather than the bake cycle.  It was not until late in the afternoon I noticed that my bread had not baked. (I got distracted.)

Not a problem!  I took the dough out, knocked it back, shaped it and let it rise in a regular loaf tin before baking it conventionally in a regular oven.  Many people do this regularly.  The bread turned out to be a lovely loaf.

It had a beautiful texture and color and cuts easily into lovely slices.  It is not overly sweet either. I thought the honey would make it quite sweet, but it doesn't.  It has a lovely nutty and wholesome flavor that is very appealing!  I highly recommend, especially if you have some people you are trying to convert to eating whole grains. This is a great loaf to begin on!

 

WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE HONEY WHOLE WHEAT BREAD (BREAD MACHINE)

Just a few simple store cupboard baking ingredients and a bread machine of course!  I have a Panasonic Automatic Bread Maker, Model #SDRD250.  This is the model of bread machine that I have been using this same model of bread machine for over 20 years now and am very pleased with it.

For a 1 1/2-pound loaf:

• 1/3 cup (80ml) water
• 1/2 cup (120ml) whole milk
• 1/4 cup (84g) honey
• 1 large egg
• 1 TBS (15g) butter, cut into pieces
• 2 cups (274g) bread flour
• 1 cup (137g) whole wheat flour
• 2 tsp (12g) kosher salt
• 2 1/4 tsp (7 g) yeast
• 1 TBS vital wheat gluten

For a two-pound loaf:

• 1/2 cup (120ml) water
• 2/3 cup (160ml) whole milk
• 1/3 cup (112g) honey
• 1 large egg
• 1 1/2 TBS (22g) butter, cut into bits
• 2 2/3 cup (365g) bread flour
• 1 1/3 cup (183g) whole wheat flour
• 2 1/2 tsp (15g) kosher salt
• 1 TBS (9g) yeast
• 1 1/2 TBS vital wheat gluten

Everything it pretty self-explanatory. I used bread flour and regular whole wheat flour. My honey was locally produced.  My butter at room temperature.  I did not use the full amount of salt asked for in the recipe as I used salted butter.  You don't have to use the Vital wheat gluten, but it does help to make a really great loaf.

 

HOW TO MAKE BREAD MACHINE BREAD

Making bread in your bread machine is really quite easy to do. You must follow the directions as dictated by your own particular model however.  Some models want you to add the wet ingredients first and some require that you add the dry ingredients first.  Mine is a "dry ingredient first" machine.

You can also use the dough setting on your particular bread machine and then shape the bread manually, pop it into a regular loaf tin, let it rise and then bake it as you would any loaf of bread. This will give you a more conventional shaped loaf.  

Some people prefer this. I am not really bothered with the shape of my loaf.  For me it is all about taste and this is one great tasting loaf!  I did bake it outside the machine this time and my loaf came out beautiful with the perfect shape and color as you can see.

HINTS AND TIPS FOR MAKING THE BEST BREAD IN A BREAD MACHINE

Really if you follow the directions on your particular bread machine your bread should work out perfectly, but there are a few things you can do that will give you an even better loaf of bread.

1. Measure by weight and not volume.  Weight is a much more precise way to measure. You can't go wrong.  I have a set of digital scales that I use. I just pop the bread pan onto them and measure away. My scales measure in grams, Kg, pounds and ounces, milliliters, etc. I started baking by weight when I lived in the UK and I would now never bake any other way.

 

 

2.  Bread machine loaves work best with bread flour.  Bread flour can also be labeled "Best for Bread" or "High Gluten flour."  

3. You can use regular flour, but if you do I recommend adding Vital Wheat Gluten to the recipe. This helps to boost the protein content of the bread.

4. Measure very carefully.  If you don't add enough flour, no matter the type of flour you use, the bread will collapse and often ends up uncooked in the center.  If you add too much flour, you will end up with a dense, hard heavy ball.

 

5.  I add Vital Wheat Gluten to all of my recipes for bread making in a bread machine. You can purchase it online.  It helps to yield a much better loaf, helping the loaf to rise higher with a nicer texture than without.  I buy mine on Amazon.

Vital wheat gluten is best stored in the refrigerator (for up to one year), but you can store it on the counter if you think you will use it up within two months (highly unlikely for the home baker.)

6. Yeast is a vital component in making yeasted breads! Duh. It can come in many forms. I recommend using yeast which is prepared specifically for use in the bread machine. I store my yeast in a tightly covered container in the refrigerator.

7. Salt is another important component in bread making. Do not however, let the salt touch the yeast.  Salt is important in bread making, not only as a flavor enhancer, but also in controlling the level of yeast fermentation.

8. Follow the recommendations when it comes to the order of adding ingredients to your machine. There are reasons why some machines put the dry ingredients first and the wet last.    Others might recommend putting in the wet first and the dry last. YOU NEED TO FOLLOW THE EXACT ORDER AS RECOMMENDED BY YOUR PARTICULAR MODEL!!

Most of the time when a recipe fails it is because the baker fails to follow the correct directions as per the machine they are using.

This was a really delicious loaf of bread. I accidentally put it in the dough setting and so I finished it in the regular way, with no problem. It is a very forgiving dough. (I had let it sit in the machine for most of the day before I realized that it hadn't baked!)  

I simply took it out, knocked it back (and it was risen to the top of the pan!), shaped it and popped it into a regular bread pan. It rose beautifully, baked perfectly and I ended up with a lovely loaf of bread.

It is a beautiful loaf with a great texture. It cuts beautifully and has a lovely sweet nutty flavor. It made the perfect cheese sandwich!

 

If you enjoy putting your bread machine to work as much as I do, then you might also enjoy the following delicious bread options!

BREAD MACHINE ONION BREAD - This is a delicious loaf of bread that makes great sandwiches, grilled or otherwise and is also great with soups and stews. The onion flavor of our bread comes from the addition of onion soup. It's as easy as that. This is a real favorite of anyone who eats it!

BREAD MACHINE PARKER HOUSE ROLLS -These Bread Machine Parker House Rolls are not only are effortless to make, but they're also very quick. You can have them on your table in a couple of hours. Just pop them into the bread machine to make the dough, shape and then let them rise while you are getting on with the rest of your meal preparations. Easy peasy . . . lemon squeezy. 

Yield: one loaf

Author: Marie Rayner

Honey Whole Wheat Bread (bread machine)

A beautiful tender, honey sweetened loaf. A delicious way to get in whole grains. A mix of whole wheat and white flours keeps the texture light whilst giving this lovely bread a wholesome nutty flavor.

Ingredients

For a 1 1/2 pound loaf:

• 1/3 cup (80ml) water
• 1/2 cup (120ml) whole milk
• 1/4 cup (84g) honey
• 1 large egg
• 1 TBS (15g) butter, cut into pieces
• 2 cups (274g) bread flour
• 1 cup (137g) whole wheat flour
• 2 tsp (12g) kosher salt
• 2 1/4 tsp (7 g) yeast
• 1 TBS vital wheat gluten

For a two pound loaf:

• 1/2 cup (120ml) water
• 2/3 cup (160ml) whole milk
• 1/3 cup (112g) honey
• 1 large egg
• 1 1/2 TBS (22g) butter, cut into bits
• 2 2/3 cup (365g) bread flour
• 1 1/3 cup (183g) whole wheat flour
• 2 1/2 tsp (15g) kosher salt
• 1 TBS (9g) yeast
• 1 1/2 TBS vital wheat gluten

Instructions

1. Add all of the ingredients to the pan of your bread machine in the order suggested by the manufacturer. In my machine they want the dry ingredients first and wet second. In others they want it the other way around.
2. Choose the basic white or whole grain setting on your machine, depending on the options your machine offers. Select the loaf size and either press start or select the dough setting (if you are planning on baking it outside the machine).
3. If you have chosen the dough setting, remove from the machine when the dough cycle is finished. Tap down and shape into a loaf. Place into a buttered loaf pan (I did a 1 1/2-pound loaf and used a 9-inch by 4-inch loaf tin).
4. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and set aside to rise for about half an hour. It should just come level with the top of the pan.
5. Preheat the oven to 375*F/190*C/gas mark 5.
6. Bake in the preheated oven for 35 to 40 minutes until golden brown and the loaf sounds hollow when tapped on the underside. Tip out completely to a wire rack to cool completely.
7. If you are baking it in the bread machine, remove from the bread pan when done and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

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