By Tracey
Whole Wheat Sandwich Bread
from Cook’s Illustrated
(Note: I always use white whole wheat flour in place of traditional whole wheat, and I substituted it here without any problems.)
Ingredients:
Biga
- 2 cups (11 oz) bread flour
- 1 cup warm water (about 100-110 F)
- 1/2 teaspoon instant yeast
Soaker
- 3 cups (16 1/2 oz) whole wheat flour
- 1/2 cup wheat germ
- 2 cups whole milk
Dough
- 1/4 cup honey
- 4 teaspoons table salt
- 2 tablespoons instant yeast
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Directions:
To make the biga: Use a wooden spoon to stir the bread flour, water and yeast together in a medium bowl until everything comes together and no dry flour remains. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature for at least 8 hours or up to 24.
To make the soaker: Use a wooden spoon to stir the whole wheat flour, wheat germ and milk together in a large bowl until it comes together to form a shaggy dough. Turn it out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead by hand until the dough is smooth, about 2-3 minutes. Place the soaker back in the same bowl, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 8 hour or up to 24.
To make the dough: Tear the soaker into 1-inch pieces and add them to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook. Add the biga, honey, salt, yeast, butter and oil to the bowl as well. Start mixing on low speed until the dough comes together into a cohesive mass, then continue kneading until the dough is smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes. It should be tacky, but not sticky – it was super humid the day I made my bread and I wound up needing a little more flour to achieve the right consistency. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead briefly by hand, then shape into a ball and place in a large bowl that’s been sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough rise for 45 minutes.
Press down gently on the center of the dough to deflate it. Using your fingertips, fold the dough over itself by gently lifting from the bottom and folding the edge of the dough toward the middle. Turn the bowl 90 degrees (1/4 turn) and repeat. Do this 6 more times, for a total of 8 folds. Replace the plastic wrap on top of the bowl and let rise until doubled in volume, about another 45 minutes.
Preheat oven to 400 F with racks in the middle and lowest positions. Set a baking stone on the middle rack. Coat two 8 1/2 x 4 1/2-inch loaf pans with nonstick cooking spray.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and cut it into 2 equal pieces. Working with one at a time, pat the dough into roughly an 8×17-inch rectangle, with a short side facing you. Starting with that short side, roll the dough into a tight cylinder, tucking the dough under itself as you go. Pinch the seam at the end to close. Place the loaf, seam side down, in one of the prepared loaf pans. Repeat with the second piece of dough. Loosely cover the loaves with plastic wrap and let them rise for 60-90 minutes, or until just about doubled in size (they will have risen about 1 inch over the top of the pan).
Meanwhile, bring 2 cups of water to a boil. Use a sharp knife to make a 1/4-inch deep slash lengthwise down the center of each loaf. Pour the boiling water into a heatproof pan and place on the bottom rack of the oven, then place the loaves on the baking stone in the oven. Immediately reduce the oven temperature to 350 F. Bake for 40-50 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through baking, or until the crust has browned and an instant read thermometer inserted into the loaves reads 200 F.
Remove the pans to a wire rack and let the bread cool for 5 minutes, then turn the loaves out onto the rack and allow to cool to room temperature (at least 2 hours) before slicing.
Makes 2 loaves.
