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If you have mastered making basic loaves in your bread maker, it’s time to progress to trying other recipes that come with your bread maker. One particular one that I usually gravitate towards is finding a hearty whole wheat bread recipe that I can use on a regular basis.
I would suggest firstly trying the basic whole wheat bread recipe that is provided in the manual of your bread machine. If this works out, then all is well. If not, then there are plenty of free recipes on the Internet or if you have a copy of my ebook Master the Art of Bread Making – The Easy Guide to Better Bread, along with the bonus eBooks, you will find many healthy and whole grain recipes to try.
Why Whole Wheat Bread?
One of the best reasons why you need to include whole wheat bread into your family’s diet is because it can significantly help improve your family’s health. It has more of the vitamins and minerals the body needs for optimum health. It has more dietary fiber that can help lower the risk of constipation, haemorrhoids, and colon cancer. It also contains more antioxidants, lignans, phenolic acids, phytoestrogens, and other phytochemicals that may help reduce the risk of several life-threatening conditions such as heart disease, breast cancer and diabetes.
You will notice that in some of the so called “whole wheat” recipes found in cookery books, that the types of flour used are actually a mixture of whole wheat flour and white flour. Using a mixture of both types of flours helps to give the bread a lighter texture and makes it more palatable for many people. Traditionally, 100% recipes can be denser and heavier. You will know what I mean if you have ever made such a loaf!
The upside of a 100% whole wheat loaf is that it is way more nutritious. All the goodness is retained whereas in white flour, many of the minerals and nutrients have been lost in the manufacturing process. That is why you will see that many white flours are enriched with vitamins such as B vitamins and iron to add back some of the goodness that has been lost.
Whole Wheat Flour vs White Flour
If you’ve read our short two part series on Bread Making Tips, in our part 1 article we discussed the suitable types of flours to use in your bread machine. As a general rule, flours with a protein level greater than 10% are ideal. With certain types of whole wheat flour, the levels of protein may be lower than white bread flour. This may be the case with particular types of whole wheat flour whereby the process of the flour combining with the yeast and water to form gluten networks is more challenging.
Having said that, the King Arthur Whole Wheat Flour or something similar would be a suitable choice for making a healthy loaf that still has a high enough protein level for leavening. It can be used to make bread without the dryness or denseness that people sometimes experience in traditional loaves of this type.
Expand your Ingredients
Now, if the basic recipe for whole wheat bread is too bland for your taste, you can come up with a lot of variations to make it more appealing. Some interesting ingredients you can use to improve the flavour and texture include flax seed, sunflower, or pumpkin seeds (pepitas), orange or lime juice, honey, molasses or maple syrup, nuts (raisins, walnuts), low fat cottage cheese, and potato flakes.
I am hoping that you are well acquainted with the benefits of using whole wheat flour over white flour. I would suggest incorporating a whole wheat recipe or two in your repertoire. It’s definitely well worth the effort for the health benefits. Though your family may be reluctant to consume such bread or not be familiar with this style, it just takes a little time to adjust. Soon they won’t even know the difference, and won’t miss eating white bread.