Whole Wheat French Bread
Whole wheat french bread is crispy on the outside and soft and chewy inside. This bread is very quick and easy to make.
Ingredients
- 4 cup Wheat flour
- 1 cup All purpose flour 1/4-1/2 cup extra if required
- 1 tbsp Active dry yeast/Instant yeast
- 2.5 tsp Sugar
- 2 tsp Salt
- 1 tbsp Olive oil
- 2 1/4 cup Water warm
- 2 tbsp Milk
Instructions
Activating The Yeast
- In a large bowl, add warm water (about 105℉), sugar, and active dry yeast. Mix and cover it. Let the mixture sit for 5 minutes and allow the yeast to bloom.
Making And Kneading The Dough
- Mix together wheat flour, white flour, and salt in another large bowl. Add flour mixture little at a time into a yeast mixture. Begin to mix the dough with your hands or use a hand mixer or a stand mixer with a dough hook attachment.
- Add some oil to the dough and combine everything together. If you find the dough is sticky, add some more flour and keep kneading it until the dough forms together into a smooth ball for about 4-5 minutes.
Kneading The Dough With Hands
- Turn the dough out onto your clean kitchen countertop and start kneading the dough. Personally, I use a dough mat. Knead the dough by pushing with the base of your palm and bring the dough back to you to reform into a ball. Keep kneading the dough for about 8-10 minutes or until the dough feels soft and pillowy. It should have a stretchy and smooth exterior. You can add a few drops of oil or some flour if required.
Proofing The Dough
- Grease some oil into a large bowl. Transfer the dough to the bowl. Spread some oil on the top of the dough. Cover it with a kitchen towel. Allow the dough to proof in a warm place for about 15-20 minutes.
Shaping The Bread
- Transfer the dough to your clean countertop. Divide the dough into two equal parts using a sharp knife or dough cutter.
- Roll out half of the dough into a rectangle. Starting from the long side, tightly roll the dough to a cylindrical shape and pinch the edge to seal. Repeat the same process with the other half.
- Line two baking pans with a parchment paper. Place a loaf (seam side down) on a baking pan. I use separate baking pans for each loaf. You can use french bread pan as well.
Proofing The Bread
- Cover each baking pan with a kitchen towel and allow the loaves to proof for about 45 minutes or until they double in size. Make a few diagonal cuts across the top of each loaf with a sharp knife.
- Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400℉/200℃
- Brush some milk on the top of the loaves and bake them for 17-20 minutes, or until they turn golden on the top and sound hollow when lightly tapped. Take them out of the oven and let them sit for 2 minutes on the countertop.
- Transfer the loaves on a cooling rack and brush some melted butter if you like. Cover them with a kitchen towel, and let them cool completely before slicing.
Notes
- Warm the water to 105℉ along with sugar for activating the yeast. Do not use hot water, it will kill the yeast.
- If the yeast is inactive then it will not form bubbles. Do not proceed to make the bread with inactive yeast.
- Proofing the dough - allow the dough to proof in a warm place for about 15-20 minutes. In colder temperatures, you can keep the bowl covered in an oven by keeping the light on, which will help the dough rise faster.
- Brushing some milk on the top of the loaves provides a semi-gloss shine and helps to brown the crust.