Healthy Whole Wheat Bread Recipe

I’ve recently been baking bread like crazy and have been experimenting with some different recipes and this one is my favorite versions of an easy whole-wheat bread. At the bottom of the recipe I have a link to a coupon for $1.00 off of any Bob’s Red Mill Product.

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups warm water
1 packet dry active yeast
1 Tbsp maple syrup, agave, or honey if not vegan
1 tbsp salt
3 Tbsp flaxseed
2 cups Bob’s Red Mill Whole-Wheat Pastry Flour
1 3/4 cups Bob’s Red Mill Unbleached All-Purpose Flour + more for rolling
3 Tbsp sunflower seeds
3 Tbsp oats

Instructions

Combine warm water (like bath water, or 110 degrees F / 43 C), yeast, sweetener, salt, flax seed and flours in a large mixing bowl and stir. Stir until well combined. When you can’t stir it with a spoon anymore, knead and turn it in the bowl with your hands. Add flour until the dough is no longer sticking to the sides.

Lift the dough out and lightly grease the bowl with nonstick spray. Cover and let rise for 2 hours at room temperature and then 2 hours in the fridge.

Make a small hole in the dough and pour in sunflower seeds and oats. Transfer dough to a lightly floured work surface and knead about 20 turns. Form into a loaf.

Place in a lightly greased loaf pan or baking sheet and sift flour over the top to help keep the dough moist. Loosely cover with plastic wrap and let sit for 45 minutes.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (218 C) toward the end of the dough resting time and place a metal or cast iron pan on the lowest oven rack. Also have 1 cup of hot water ready.

When the oven is preheated place in oven on middle rack. Then carefully pour hot water into the pan on the rack beneath. Expect it to bubble and steam; then close oven door quickly.