a soft whole wheat bread that doesn't crumble all over the place
Ingredients
800 grams hard white wheat berries
375 grams spelt berries
375 grams hard red wheat berries
1 cup hot water
2 Tablespoons SAF instant yeast
3½ cups milk
6 Tablespoons butter
1 cup sourdough (fed or unfed)
3 Tablespoons honey
2 Tablespoons salt
2 Tablespoons liquid lecithin
1/16 teaspoon vitamin C powder (i open a capsule and use this)
Instructions
Grind wheat and spelt berries. (optional but improves texture is to sift flour to separate the wheat and the bran - save and use both)
Dissolve yeast in hot water for 5 minutes. While this is sponging, warm milk and butter until the butter begins to melt, but milk is not too hot to touch (you don't want it over 120 degrees or you will kill your yeast.)
Add all of the wheat bran, 75% of the flour and remaining ingredients (including warm milk mixture) to the yeast sponge. Mix for a minute on low speed, and then allow the dough to rest for 20 minutes. (this allows the flour time to absorb the moisture)
Add in just enough of the remaining flour that the dough cleans the sides of the mixer bowl. Knead 6 minutes on low speed then test the dough by stretching a pinch between your fingers. You want the dough to be able to stretch until semi-transparent without ripping; this means the gluten has fully developed. If the dough rips, knead for an additional minute, test again and so on.
Once the dough has passed the stretch test, place it in a greased bowl, cover, and let rise until double.
Punch dough down and divide and shape into 4 loaves. Place dough in greased loaf pans, cover, and allow to rise again.
Bake in a preheated oven for 25-35 minutes. I bake for 20 minutes and then insert an instant read thermometer. The bread is done when the interior temperature of the loaf is 185 degrees.
Cool for 10 minutes and then remove from loaf pans and allow to fully cool on a cooling rack
Recipe by brown eyes + blue at https://www.browneyesplusblue.com/kid-approved-whole-wheat-bread/