Agave Whole Wheat Bread Recipes

100% WHOLE WHEAT BREAD

Steps:

• In a small saucepan, heat the water, butter, and molasses over medium heat until butter is melted. Remove from heat and let cool for a few minutes (to 120-130 degrees F).
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, combine 2 cups of the flour, the salt, and yeast. Add the liquids and mix on low until moistened.
• Continue to mix on low and add the remaining flour 1/4 cup at a time until dough is firm (you might need a little more or less than 4 total cups). Knead with the mixer for 3-5 minutes or by hand for 5-8 minutes until dough is smooth and elastic.
• Place dough in a greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let rise in a warm place until doubled, 1 hour. Punch down the dough, and let sit for 10 minutes.
• On a lightly floured surface, roll dough out into a rough rectangle about 10 inches wide and 12 inches long. Roll up dough and into a greased 9x5-inch loaf pan.
• Cover with plastic wrap and let rise again until doubled again, 30 minutes.
• Bake at 375 degrees F for 30-40 minutes, until loaf is golden brown. Let cool in pan 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to let cool completely.

EVERYDAY 100% WHOLE WHEAT SANDWICH BREAD

Steps:

• In a mixing bowl, whisk the flour, salt, and sugar together (if using honey or agave nectar, dissolve it in the lukewarm water instead). In a separate bowl, whisk the egg and oil together. Separately, combine the water and milk, then whisk in the yeast until dissolved.
• Add the egg mixture and the water mixture to the dry ingredients. If using a mixer, use the paddle attachment and mix on the lowest speed for 1 minute. If mixing by hand, use a large spoon and stir for 1 about minute. The dough should be wet and coarse. Let the dough rest for 5 minutes to fully hydrate the flour.
• Switch to the dough hook and mix on medium-low speed, or continue mixing by hand, for 2 minutes. The dough will firm up slightly and become smoother. If it's still very wet, add more flour; if it's very stiff, add a little more water, 1 tablespoon at a time. The dough should be very supple and slightly sticky. Continue to mix with the dough hook on medium-low speed, or mix by hand for 4 minutes more, increasing the speed to medium-high or stirring more vigorously for the final 20 seconds to develop and organize the gluten. The dough will still be slightly sticky but will also feel stronger and more elastic.
• Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface with a wet bowl scraper and knead by hand for a final few seconds, working in more flour or water as needed so that the dough is very supple and pliable and slightly sticky; then form the dough into a ball. Do a stretch and fold, either on the work surface or in the bowl, reaching under the front end of the dough, stretching it out, then folding it back onto the top of the dough. Do this from the back end and then from each side, then flip the dough over and tuck it into a ball. Cover the dough and let it rest for 10 minutes. Repeat this entire process two more times, completing all repetitions within 30 minutes.
• Place the dough in a clean, lightly oiled bowl large enough to hold the dough when it doubles in size. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap, then immediately refrigerate overnight or for up to 4 days. (If you plan to bake the dough in batches over different days, you can portion the dough and place it into two or more oiled bowls at this stage.)
• Remove the dough from the refrigerator about 3 hours before you plan to bake. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface and divide it into two equal pieces for loaves or small pieces for rolls, about 2 ounces each. Shape the dough into sandwich loaves (see page 23), freestanding loaves (see page 20), or rolls (see page 25). For sandwich loaves, place the dough in greased 4 1/2 by 8 1/2-inch loaf pans. For freestanding loaves or rolls, line a sheet pan with parchment paper or a silicone mat and proof the dough on the pan. Mist the dough with spray oil and cover loosely with plastic wrap, then let the dough rise at room temperature for 2 to 3 hours, until increased to about 1 1/2 times its original size. In loaf pans, the dough should dome about 1 inch above the rim.
• About 15 minutes before baking, preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). If making rolls, brush the dough with egg wash (see page 135) prior to baking. (This isn't necessary for loaves.)
• Bake loaves for 20 minutes, then rotate; rotate rolls after 10 minutes. The total baking time is 40 to 55 minutes for loaves, and only about 20 minutes for rolls. The bread is done when the top and sides are a deep, rich brown; the loaf sounds hollow when thumped on the bottom; and the internal temperature is above 185°F (85°C) in the center.
• Remove from the pans and cool for at least 20 minutes for rolls and at least 1 hour for loaves before slicing or serving.
• For a stronger, more elastic dough, add 2 tablespoons (0.5 oz / 14 g) of vital wheat gluten (sometimes called pure wheat gluten). This will create a lighter loaf with larger air pockets. Increase the water by 1/4 cup (2 oz / 56.5 g).
• You can also omit the milk and replace it with more water, but milk makes the bread a little more tender and golden. Another option is to substitute soy milk or rice milk.
• You can easily make a multigrain version of this bread. As long as you use whole wheat flour for at least 80 percent of the total flour, there will be enough gluten to support the loaf. This means you can replace up to 20 percent of the whole wheat flour with an equal amount of other grains (by weight), in a variety of forms, including rye flour, multigrain cereal blends, cornmeal, and flaked or rolled grains like oats or triticale flakes. (If using flakes, you can use them in flaked form or grind them into flour in a seed grinder or blender.) You can also use small-seeded "grains" like amaranth, chia seeds, millet, and quinoa. Amaranth and chia are about the only grains that can go into a loaf whole, without being rolled or ground into flakes, meal, or flour. Slightly larger grains, like millet, quinoa, and corn grits, can also be left whole if you like the crunch they provide. If you want to use larger grains like rice, rye, barley, or wheat in their whole form, thoroughly cook them first, as they won't hydrate in the dough and could crack a tooth.
• To win someone over from white bread to 100 percent whole grain bread, it may help to have a transitional version that bridges the gap. You can replace some of the whole wheat flour in this recipe with an equal amount of unbleached bread flour (by weight) to make a lighter loaf. Reduce the amount of water by about 1/2 tablespoon (0.25 oz or 6 g) for every 1 ounce (28.5 g) of bread flour you use.
• Replace up to 5.5 ounces (156 g) of the whole wheat flour with the same weight of any of the following ingredients, in any combination:
• Whole rye flour, rye meal, rye flakes (whole or ground)
• Uncooked cornmeal or cooked grits or polenta
• Oatmeal flakes, whole or ground
• Amaranth
• Uncooked ground quinoa or cooked whole quinoa
• Whole or ground flaxseeds (no more than 1 ounce or 28.5 g)
• Cooked brown rice, bulgur, barley

THE VERY BEST WHOLE WHEAT BREAD

Steps:

• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, mix together 3 1/2 cups white whole wheat flour, vital wheat gluten, and quick-rise yeast until well combined.
• Add the water and mix for one minute, scraping down bowl halfway through. Cover the bowl with a clean kitchen towel and allow to rest for 10 minutes.
• Uncover the bowl and add the salt, oil, honey, and lemon juice. Beat for 1 minute.
• Add the remaining 2 1/2 cups of flour, one cup at a time, mixing well between each cup. Knead the dough in the mixer (still using the dough hook) until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl and feels smooth rather than sticky. This usually takes 10 to 15 minutes, but if your dough pulls away and loses its stickiness sooner, it could take as little as 5 minutes.
• Grease two nonstick bread pans measuring 8 1/2" x 4 1/2" x 2 1/2" to 9" x 5" x 3" each (or grease two regular bread pans and then line them with parchment paper). Preheat the oven to lukewarm by setting it to 350°F and then turning it back off after exactly 1 minute.
• Turn the dough onto a greased surface. Evenly divide it into two loaves. Form and place the dough into the prepared bread pans, gently pressing it into the corners.
• Place the pans in the warm oven and allow them to rise for 20 to 40 minutes, until the dough is nicely domed above the tops of the pans. Without removing the pans from the oven, turn on the oven to 350°F and set the timer for 30 minutes. The bread is done when the tops are golden brown and the internal temperature reaches 190°F to 200°F on an instant-read thermometer. Once the loaves are baked, immediately remove the hot bread from the pans to cool on a rack.

EASY 100% WHOLE WHEAT BREAD

Steps:

• Mix the warm water, honey, and yeast in a stand-mixer bowl until mixture becomes foamy, about 5 minutes.
• Add half the whole wheat flour, olive oil, and salt to the mixture. Mix with a spatula or wooden spoon until incorporated. Let sit for 1 to 2 minutes.
• Mix with a dough hook attachment on low speed, slowly adding the remaining whole wheat flour, increasing the speed to high. Mix on high until the batter is combined and not sticking to the sides of the bowl, about 7 minutes. Cover the bowl with a towel and let rest for 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, prepare a 9x5-inch loaf pan with parchment paper. Flour a surface to work the dough.
• Place the dough onto the floured work surface and shape into a loaf. Use more flour if necessary. Place into the prepared loaf pan.
• Let shaped dough sit in a warm place until it has risen over the top of the pan, about 1 hour.
• Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Bake in the preheated oven until top of the loaf sounds hollow when tapped, about 35 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool for 15 to 20 minutes before removing from the pan and transferring to a wire rack. Let cool an additional hour before slicing; otherwise it will feel doughy.

AGAVE WHOLE WHEAT BREAD

Steps:

• Dissolve yeast in 1/2 cup warm water. Stir in whole wheat flour, 1 3/4 cups warm water, carrots, bananas, butter, agave, salt and cinnamon beat until smooth using an electric mixer. Mix in enough flour to make a soft dough. Knead about 10 minutes, or until smooth and elastic, on a lightly floured board. Place in a large greased bowl and turn to grease all sides. Cover bowl and set in warm place to rise about 1 hour or until doubled in size. Punch down dough, divide in half, flatten each half with a rolling pin, or your hand, to 18 x 9-inches overlap the two sides and fold into thirds. Roll each half up tightly and place in two greased 9 x 5 x 3-inch pans. Brush tops with melted butter. Let rise about one hour or until doubled in size. Bake at 375°F for 40 to 45 minutes or until crust is brown. Remove from pans and cool on wire racks.