Try this Honey Wheat Bread recipe
- Carbohydrate 27.8729220037213 g
- Cholesterol 3.7365937521 mg
- Fat 3.71524338908263 g
- Fiber 1.8550355335522 g
- Protein 4.53086469693909 g
- Saturated Fat 1.56336062105496 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (45g)
- Sodium 8.04387741029759 mg
- Sugar 26.0178864701691 g
- Trans Fat 0.358824798038336 g
- Calories 162 calories
Step-by-step
- Dissolve yeast and sugar in 1/2 cup warm water.
- Combine milk, 1/4 cup water, shortening, honey, salt and wheat flour in food processor or bowl. Mix in yeast mixture, and let rest 15 minutes. Add bread flour, and process until dough forms a ball. Knead dough by processing an additional 80 seconds in food processor, or mix and knead by hand 10 minutes. Place the dough in a buttered bowl, and turn to coat. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Let dough rise for 45 minutes, or until almost doubled.
- Punch down, and divide dough in half. Roll out each half, and pound out the bubbles. Form into loaves, and place in buttered 9x5 inch bread pans. Butter the tops of the dough, and cover loosely with plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm area until doubled; second rise should take about 30 minutes.
- Place a small pan of water on the bottom shelf of the oven. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
- Bake for 25 to 35 minutes, or until tops are dark golden brown. Butter crusts while warm. Slice when cool.
Standard baking formulas rely heavily on dairy fats and animal proteins for structural stability, yet adjusting these components for plant-based diets requires specific ratios. Evaporated milk provides concentrated solids that tenderize the crumb, but unsweetened soy milk heated to 110 degrees Fahrenheit replicates that density without animal products. Honey acts as both a hygroscopic sweetener and a browning agent, meaning pure maple syrup or agave nectar serves as a direct one-to-one replacement without altering hydration levels.
Yeast demands precision during the initial dissolution phase. Water maintained strictly between 105 and 110 degrees Fahrenheit prevents thermal shock while ensuring rapid rise activation. Combining the liquid fats, warm water, and flour creates a dense matrix that benefits from a strict fifteen-minute autolyse rest before the final bread flour is incorporated. Kneading for eighty seconds in a food processor builds gluten strands rapidly, whereas hand kneading requires ten full minutes of continuous folding and stretching to achieve the same elastic windowpane stage.
Managing the dual fermentation cycles dictates the final loaf volume. The initial forty-five-minute bulk fermentation must proceed until the dough volume nearly doubles, followed by a secondary thirty-minute pan rise in a draft-free zone. Introducing a small pan of water to the bottom oven shelf generates steam during the initial minutes of baking at 375 degrees Fahrenheit, keeping the crust pliable enough to expand before the interior sets completely.
