A simple whole-wheat bread (brown bread) recipe for beginners - super simple and just a few ingredients needed for a delicious, fresh loaf of homemade bread
Begin by preparing the poolish. First mix the yeast and the lukewarm water. Make sure the water is not too hot so it doesn’t kill the yeast.
Then, mix the flour into the yeast and water. Cover with a tea towel and set aside in a warm place for about 3 hours. You can alternatively make the poolish the night before, for an extra-long fermentation (for more flavor). The poolish will be sticky and stretchy when it is ready. Check what the poolish looks like in the video on the blog.
For the main dough preparation, mix the yeast with the lukewarm water. Again, make sure the water is not too hot.
In a separate large bowl, mix the dry ingredients; flour and salt.
Add the yeast to the flour and then add the poolish. Combine well until you get a sticky dough - making sure to work round the sides of the bowl, to collect all the dough together.
Knead the dough for 10-15 minutes until it becomes soft and elastic.
Place in a greased bowl (I used olive oil for greasing). Brush the dough with some olive oil, then cover with a tea towel. Make sure it well tucked, so no air gets in.
Allow the dough to rest in a warm environment for 1 hour. I usually place it in the oven (switched off!). The dough will rise and will almost double in size but do note that wholewheat rises less than white flour dough.
Roll the risen dough into a loaf shape, the size of your tin.* Then place it in a pre-greased loaf tin.
Dust with wholewheat flour and cover with the tea towel. Set aside to rest for another 30 minutes.
In the meantime, preheat the oven. First place 2 baking trays as follows:
-One tray in the middle of the oven - this is where the bread loaf tin goes -One tray in the bottom of the oven - this is where a bit of hot water goes just before baking the bread. The water helps keep the environment moist and will create a nice crispy crust.
Preheat the oven to 250ºC. Once the oven has reached the temperature, carefully pour a cup of water in the bottom tray. Be careful as some of it will turn to steam instantly so make sure to protect yourself (hands and face).
Next, place the bread loaf tin with the dough on the middle shelf and bake for 25-30 minutes.
Once the bread is ready, allow it to cool down on a cooling rack. Then you can cut ( and eat) the bread.
Store in an airtight container at room temperature for 4-5 days. For freezer bread storage options then check my notes section above.
Video
Notes
* If you're wanting to add any 'topping' then place the dough top-side down in the topping of your choice then place top-side up in the loaf tin.A Few Additional Notes
This recipe is for a small tin loaf. for a larger loaf then simply double the ingredients.
This bread is incredibly freezer friendly and can be stored at the best quality for about 3 months, but will be okay to consume for far longer. When storing bread in the freezer, I like to slice my bread, with parchment paper between each slice, so I can take out exactly how much I need at a time. Make sure to tightly wrap your bread in a freezer-safe wrap or freezer bag.
When storing homemade bread at room temperature, then it will last between 4-5 days when stored in a bread box or in a sealable bag.
In terms of toppings, I left this loaf bare. However, you could add a variety of options including mixed seeds; black sesame, flaxseed, chia, pumpkin, etc. Oats also work very well and whole wheat bran.
Wholewheat bread, by nature, is very dense. If you're wanting a lighter bread then you can mix half white flour and half whole wheat instead of just wholewheat.