Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Combine the sugar, salt, shortening, milk, and water in a saucepan and heat until it is between 110°F and 115°F.
- While the liquids are heating, combine the all-purpose flour, dry malt powder, wheat gluten, and instant yeast in a mixing bowl.
- Once the liquids have reached the right temperature, pour them into the mixing bowl with the combined dry ingredients. Mix well.
- Cover with plastic film and let sit for an hour.
- Mix in the whole wheat flour. If using a stand mixer, you can use the dough hook. Knead the dough for 15-20 minutes until the dough forms a smooth exterior and you can make a thin membrane with the dough without it breaking.
- Cover with plastic film and let sit for an hour.
- Grease two loaf pans. Set aside. Punch down the dough and divide into two equal portions. Knead each portion and work into an oblong loaf. Place a loaf into each pan.
- Cover with plastic film and let sit for an hour.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Bake the loaves for 45-50 minutes or until done. They should be golden brown on top and sound hollow when thumped.
Notes
The kneading time depends a lot on what you use to knead and if you’re making the full recipe or a half recipe. The timing is a rough guideline, so knead for 15 minutes (or about 7–8 minutes if making only one loaf) and test the dough. Once you’ve made this bread a couple of times, you’ll get a feel for what to expect.
You can make softer, longer-lasting bread by reserving 50 g of all-purpose flour (per 2 loaves) and adding it to the liquids. You will need to heat the liquid and flour mixture to 149°F or so until the mixture thickens. Let it sit and cool to between 110°F and 115°F before adding it to the dry ingredients in step 3.
This is based on the whole wheat bread recipe (909) from The New American Cookbook, 1941.
