Honey Yogurt Whole Wheat Bread 03/31/2010
I have been baking a lot of bread over the past few months, and have toyed around with several different recipes for whole wheat bread. Some of my loaves have been better than others, some have required intensive thought and preparation, and some have been less than desirable. But about two weeks ago, I struck bread baking gold. Most recipes I've found for whole wheat bread call for either water or milk as the liquid agent. But this recipe calls for a combination of water and yogurt, which was immediately intriguing to my baking mind. I have loved using yogurt in other baked goods like muffins or cake because it adds incredible moistness and flavor to the batter. I hoped that yogurt would add a similar tangy flavor and moistness to my loaf of wheat bread, and much to my delight my hopes were met. Not only does this loaf of bread taste delicious, but the crumb is light and airy, a noted achievement when baking whole wheat bread. The first time I made this bread, I watched with unmatched excitement as my loaf rose and rose and rose. Nothing can make a baker happier than a successfully risen dough...and believe me, nothing can be more depressing than a loaf that fails to rise. After trying many different recipes, I can say with certainty that this recipe is my favorite. It is the recipe I am using to bake our daily loaves of bread, and it will be the recipe I will use for years to come.  Honey Yogurt Wheat Bread 3.5-4 cups of Whole Wheat Flour (I use a combo of White Whole Wheat and Regular) 3/4 TBSP of Instant Yeast 3 TBSP Honey 2 TBSP Vital Wheat Gluten 1 tsp salt 1 Cup warm water (110 degrees) 3/4 Cup plain yogurt (Greek yogurt or regular) 1. In a large bowl, combine all your ingredients. Using the paddle attachment on your stand mixer or a large wooden spoon, stir until all ingredients are combined. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and allow to sit for 5-10 minutes. (This allows the gluten to develop). 2. Using the dough hook on your stand mixer, knead for 5-10 minutes, adding additional flour or water. Your dough should come together in a ball. It should be moist but not sticky. Determining if your dough needs more moisture or more flour takes practice! You will have to experiment in order to learn what kind of dough will rise best in your particular climate. 3. Transfer your dough to a lightly oiled bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise in a warm place. Dough will need to rise for around 1 hour. 4. Transfer dough to a lightly floured surface. Form into a small rectangle, and then form the dough into a loaf shape. Place in a lightly greased loaf pan, cover with greased plastic wrap and allow to rise until the dough crests about 1 inch over the pan. 5. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 40 to 50 minutes or until dough registers 190 degrees with an instant read thermometer.  Comments04/11/2010 7:46pm
Your Honey Yogurt Whole Wheat Bread looks fantastic! Great recipe using yogurt. Jen 05/13/2010 9:06pm
I LOVE your blog! I stumbled across it while looking for a good whole wheat bread recipe. I am a novice bread baker (strong emphasis on the novice :) ), and have tried and failed many times with many different recipes. I LOVE your recipe and have tried it 2 times. I am having a problem that I wondered if you have experienced: after the bread bakes and is sliced, you can clearly see the different layers from where I rolled the dough to put in the bread pan after the first rising. The different layers from the "roll" separate from each other and fall apart when slicing. I am doing something wrong, but can't figure it out!! Monet 05/14/2010 1:02am
Hi Jen! In regards to your bread dilemma...this has me a bit stumped. I haven't had this problem before, but perhaps the problem lies in rolling the dough. When I form my dough, I tend not to aggressively roll it. (I'm going to amend my blog instructions) I simply take it out of the bowl, put it on a lightly floured surface and then form it into a loaf/log shape. I then place the log into the loaf pan and let it rise again. Leave a Reply | 
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