Whole Grain Loaf Recipes

WHOLE-GRAIN BREAD

Steps:

• Stir whole-wheat flour, bran, and 1 cup water in a bowl. Let stand 30 minutes.
• Stir milk and 1 tablespoon sugar in a bowl until sugar dissolves. Stir in yeast. Let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes.
• Put whole-wheat flour mixture, milk mixture, remaining 3 tablespoons sugar, the cornmeal, 3 tablespoons oats, the ground flaxseed, and salt into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the dough hook; mix on medium-low speed until combined. Add 2 1/2 cups bread flour; mix until dough is tacky, but not sticky, about 2 minutes (if dough is too sticky, add more flour, 1 teaspoon at a time). Continue kneading until dough is soft and elastic, about 5 minutes more.
• Coat a large bowl with cooking spray. Add dough to bowl; turn to coat. Cover loosely with plastic wrap. Let dough rise in a warm, draft-free place until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour (or refrigerate overnight; bring to room temperature).
• Turn out dough onto a work surface; shape into a loaf about 9 inches long. Using a spray bottle, mist with water; sprinkle top with remaining 2 teaspoons oats and the whole flaxseed. Coat a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan and a piece of plastic wrap with cooking spray. Transfer loaf to the pan, and cover lightly with the plastic wrap. Let stand until doubled in bulk, about 45 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Mist oven with water; place loaf in oven. Bake 5 minutes; mist oven again. Continue to bake, rotating pan once, until well browned, 25 to 30 minutes. Unmold bread onto a wire rack; return to oven, and bake directly on oven rack 5 minutes more. Remove from oven; let cool completely on rack.

SIMPLE WHOLE WHEAT BREAD

Steps:

• Place flours, yeast, sugar & salt in a large mixing bowl.
• Stir in milk, followed by oil and egg.
• Beat on high for 2 minutes.
• On low speed add about 1/4 cup bread flour until dough forms a mass.
• Place dough on floured surface and knead 50 turns.
• Cover and let rest 10 minutes.
• Shape dough into a loaf and place in a greased 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 x 2 3/4-inch loaf pan.
• Cover with a towel and let rise in a warm spot until it's one inch taller than the pan, about 35 minutes.
• Meantime, preheat oven to 375° F.
• Bake for 30 minutes. After the first 15 minutes, I cover the top of the loaf with a foil tent to prevent over-browning.
• Remove immediately from pan onto a cooling rack. Let it cool at least 10 minutes before slicing.

SEEDED WHOLE GRAIN LOAF

Steps:

• In bread machine pan, place all the ingredients in order suggested by manufacturer. Select basic bread setting. Choose crust color and loaf size if available. Bake according to bread machine directions (check dough after 5 minutes of mixing; add 1 to 2 tablespoons of water or flour if needed).

WHOLE-GRAIN GREEK MEATLOAF

Steps:

• Put the bulgur in a small bowl, cover with hot water and soak until softened, about 1 hour. Strain and set aside.
• Toss the cucumbers, tomatoes, half the mint, 1 tablespoon of the oil, lemon juice, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a medium bowl; cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Spray an 8-inch square baking pan lightly with cooking spray and set aside.
• Pulse the onions into a paste in a food processor, scraping down the bowl as needed. Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the onion paste and any onion juice and cook, stirring occasionally, until the paste begins to brown (it will still be light), about 10 minutes. Add the cumin, cinnamon, allspice, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and a few grinds of pepper and continue cooking until the onion-spice paste starts to look dry and is fragrant, 4 to 6 minutes.
• Add the onion-spice paste, bulgur, ground beef, egg, breadcrumbs, remaining chopped mint, 1/2 teaspoon salt and several grinds of pepper to a large mixing bowl and mix with your hands until thoroughly combined. Press the mixture into the prepared baking pan; sprinkle with the pine nuts if using and press in. Bake until the meatloaf begins to pull away from the sides, is browned on top and registers 165 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer, 30 to 35 minutes. Slice the meatloaf into 1-inch-thick slices and serve hot with the cucumber-tomato salad and dollops of Greek yogurt alongside.

WHOLE-WHEAT CHOCOLATE CHIP LOAF CAKE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350 degrees and butter a light-colored metal 9-by-5-by-3-inch loaf pan. Line the pan with a strip of parchment paper that hangs over the two long sides.
• In a large bowl, vigorously whisk eggs and brown sugar until light and smooth, about 30 seconds.
• Add the sour cream, melted butter, oil, vanilla extract and salt, and whisk until smooth. Whisk in the baking powder and baking soda.
• Add both flours and all but one 1 heaping tablespoon of the chocolate chips. Stir with a rubber spatula until combined and no streaks of flour remain.
• Spoon the batter into the prepared pan, smooth the top, and sprinkle with the reserved chocolate chips, 1 teaspoon of granulated or turbinado sugar and a sprinkle of salt. Bake until golden and puffed, and a tester inserted into the center comes out clean or with a bit of melted chocolate, 50 to 60 minutes.
• Carefully run a thin knife or offset spatula around the edges of the pan not protected by the parchment paper. Set the pan on a rack to cool for about 15 minutes. Then, use the parchment paper to lift the cake out of the pan and set it back on the rack to cool completely. Keep leftovers loosely covered at room temperature for up to 3 days.

EASY SEED & GRAIN LOAF

Steps:

• Tip the flour, seeds, yeast and salt into a large bowl. Mix the water, oil and honey in a jug, then pour into the dry mix, stirring all the time to make a soft dough. If it feels sticky, sprinkle in a little more flour.
• Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 5 mins, until the dough no longer feels sticky, sprinkling with a little more flour as you need it.
• Oil a 1.2-litre loaf tin and put the dough in the tin, pressing it in evenly. Cover with a tea towel and leave to rise for 1 hr, until it springs back when you press it with your finger. Heat oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6.
• Make eight slashes across the top of the loaf, brush with water and sprinkle alternately with poppy and sesame seeds. Bake for 30-35 mins until the loaf is risen and brown. Tip it out onto a cooling rack and leave to cool.