Cook's Illustrated

Whole-Wheat Sandwich Bread

Published March 1, 2011.  From Cook's Illustrated.

Why this recipe works:

We found ways to bump up the whole-wheat flour amount called for in our Whole-Wheat Sandwich Bread recipe: We substituted protein-rich bread flour for the all-purpose flour and soaked it overnight in a combination of milk and wheat germ. We used a biga (a combination of flour, water, and yeast), which we left overnight in the refrigerator, to develop a full range of unique flavors in our bread. Three final tweaks gave our Whole-Wheat Sandwich Bread even more character: using honey instead of white sugar, cutting back on the fat, and swapping some of the butter for vegetable oil.

Makes two 9 by 5-inch loaves

You can hand-knead the dough, but we’ve found that it’s easy to add too much flour during the kneading stage, resulting in a slightly tougher loaf. Wheat germ is usually found either in the baking aisle near the flours or with hot cereals such as oatmeal. Leftover bread can be wrapped in a double layer of plastic wrap and stored at room temperature for 3 days. To freeze the bread for up to 1 month, wrap it with an additional layer of aluminum foil.


Ingredients

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