Whole Wheat Agave Bread Recipes

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.

WHOLE-WHEAT BREAD

Steps:

• The day before making the bread, make the soaker and the poolish. For the soaker, mix together the coarse whole-wheat flour and the water in a bowl, cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and leave it at room temperature until the next day. For the poolish, mix together the whole-wheat flour and yeast, then stir in the water to make a thick paste. Stir only until all the flour is hydrated, then cover the bowl with plastic wrap and allow to ferment at room temperature for 2 to 4 hours, or until it just begins to bubble. Then put it in the refrigerator overnight.
• The next day remove the poolish from the refrigerator 1 hour before making the dough to take off the chill. In a mixing bowl (or in the bowl of an electric mixer), stir together the whole-wheat flour, salt, and yeast. Then add the poolish and the soaker, as well as the honey, oil, and egg. Stir with a large metal spoon (or mix on low speed for about 1 minute with the paddle attachment) until the dough forms a ball, adding more water or flour if needed.
• Sprinkle whole-wheat flour on the counter, transfer the dough to the counter, and begin kneading (or mix on medium speed with the dough hook). Add flour if necessary and knead until the dough forms a firm, supple dough. This will take 10 to 15 minutes by hand, slightly less by machine. The dough should be tacky but not sticky. It should pass the windowpane test (page 58) and register 77° to 81°F. Lightly oil a large bowl and transfer the dough to the bowl, rolling it around to coat it with oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap.
• Ferment at room temperature for approximately 2 hours, or until the dough doubles in size.
• Divide the dough into 2 equal pieces (they should weigh about 18 ounces each). Shape them into sandwich loaves, as shown on page 81. Lightly oil two 8 1/2 by 4 1/2-inch loaf pans and place the loaves in the pans. Mist the tops with spray oil and loosely cover with plastic wrap.
• Proof at room temperature for about 90 minutes, or until the dough nearly doubles in size and is cresting above the lip of the pans.
• Preheat the oven to 350°F with the oven rack in the middle of the oven. Just before baking, you may choose to garnish the loaves by misting the tops with water and sprinkling on sesame seeds.
• Bake the loaves for about 30 minutes, then rotate them 180 degrees, if necessary, for even baking. Continue baking for 15 to 30 minutes longer. The finished bread should register between 185° and 190°F at the center and should sound hollow when thumped on the bottom. The loaves should be golden brown all around and firm on the sides as well as on the top and bottom. If they are soft and squishy on the sides, return them to the pans and continue baking until done.
• When the loaves have finished baking, remove them immediately from the pans and cool on a rack for at least 1 hour, preferably 2 hours, before slicing or serving.
• BREAD PROFILE
• Enriched, standard dough; indirect method; commercial yeast
• DAYS TO MAKE: 2
• Day 1: 2 to 4 hours soaker and poolish
• Day 2: 1 hour to de-chill poolish; 15 minutes mixing; 3 1/2 hours fermentation, shaping, and proofing; 45 to 60 minutes baking
• Commentary
• Coarse flour weighs slightly less per cup than regular grind flour because it doesn't pack as tightly and contains more air. This explains why the coarse flour is only 4.25 ounces, while the regular whole-wheat flour used in the rest of the formula weighs 4.5 ounces per cup.
• The bread will develop a more open crumb if the flour is high in protein. The strongest flour comes from hard spring wheat, which can often be found at natural food markets that offer a variety of flours (see also Resources, page 291). You may also substitute regular whole-wheat flour from the supermarket.
• The use of oil and/or egg is offered as an option to tenderize the bread. If you use either of them, you will need to add additional flour during the final mixing. Let the dough determine how much flour to add, as you knead it to a firm, slightly tacky consistency. Another way to tenderize the dough is to use milk or buttermilk instead of water when making the poolish.
• BAKER'S PERCENTAGE FORMULA
• Whole-Wheat Bread %
• (Soaker)
• Whole-wheat flour: 100%
• Water: 141%
• Total: 241%
• WHOLE-WHEAT POOLISH
• Whole-wheat flour: 100%
• Instant yeast: .41%
• Water: 88.9%
• Total: 189.3%
• (Dough)
• Soaker: 114%
• Whole-wheat poolish: 142%
• Whole-wheat flour: 100%
• Salt: 3.7%
• Instant yeast: 1.2%
• Honey: 16.7%
• Vegetable oil: 5.6%
• Egg: 18.3%
• Total: 401.5%

VEGAN AGAVE CORNBREAD MUFFINS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Lightly grease a muffin pan.
• Combine the cornmeal, flour, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl; stir in the applesauce, soy milk, and agave nectar. Slowly add the oil while stirring. Pour the mixture into the muffin pan.
• Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick or small knife inserted in the crown of a muffin comes out clean, 15 to 20 minutes.

SIMPLE WHOLE WHEAT BREAD

Steps:

• In a large bowl, mix warm water, yeast, and 1/3 cup honey. Add 5 cups white bread flour, and stir to combine. Let set for 30 minutes, or until big and bubbly.
• Mix in 3 tablespoons melted butter, 1/3 cup honey, and salt. Stir in 2 cups whole wheat flour. Flour a flat surface and knead with whole wheat flour until not real sticky - just pulling away from the counter, but still sticky to touch. This may take an additional 2 to 4 cups of whole wheat flour. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to coat the surface of the dough. Cover with a dishtowel. Let rise in a warm place until doubled.
• Punch down, and divide into 3 loaves. Place in greased 9 x 5 inch loaf pans, and allow to rise until dough has topped the pans by one inch.
• Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 25 to 30 minutes; do not overbake. Lightly brush the tops of loaves with 2 tablespoons melted butter or margarine when done to prevent crust from getting hard. Cool completely.