Looking through the ridiculous collection of flours and wheat products in the kitchen the other day, I decided to look for a bread recipe to use up some of the ingredients we only had a little bit left of. This bread worked perfectly, and is really tasty – we went through the first loaf in a day.

Ingredients:

• 2 1/3 cups warm water
• 1 1/2 tablespoons active dry yeast
• 1/4 cup honey
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 2 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1/4 cup rye flour
• 1/2 cup toasted wheat germ
• 3 cups whole wheat flour
• 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the water, yeast, honey, melted butter, and salt, and stir with a rubber spatula.

Mix in the rye flour, wheat germ, and 1 cup each whole wheat and white flours.

Using the dough hook, mix in the remaining flours on lo speed until smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes. After adding so much flour, I expected this dough to be much more dry than it was.

Knead just enough to be sure the dough is evenly soft and smooth, then transfer to a greased bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm, draft-free area until doubled, about an hour.

Gently punch down the dough and divide into two equal pieces. Lightly press each piece into a rectangle about an inch thick and the height of your bread pans. Roll each rectangle into a log, and place seam-side down into greased 9X5″ bread pans. Cover, and let rise until almost doubled, 20-30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees, then bake the risen loaves until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the center reads 205 degrees, or the bread sounds hollow when turned from the pan and tapped on the bottom. Turn both loaves immediately out of the pans and let cool completely on a wire rack.

The rye and wheat germ give this bread an interesting taste, without it being a gross “healthy” taste.

I’ll be submitting this recipe to YeastSpotting.

Whole Wheat Bread with Wheat Germ and Rye

From The Best Recipe by the editors of Cook’s Illustrated.

• 2 1/3 cups warm water
• 1 1/2 tablespoons active dry yeast
• 1/4 cup honey
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 2 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1/4 cup rye flour
• 1/2 cup toasted wheat germ
• 3 cups whole wheat flour
• 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the water, yeast, honey, melted butter, and salt, and stir with a rubber spatula. Mix in the rye flour, wheat germ, and 1 cup each whole wheat and white flours.

Using the dough hook, mix in the remaining flours on lo speed until smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes. After adding so much flour, I expected this dough to be much more dry than it was. Knead just enough to be sure the dough is evenly soft and smooth, then transfer to a greased bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm, draft-free area until doubled, about an hour.

Gently punch down the dough and divide into two equal pieces. Lightly press each piece into a rectangle about an inch thick and the height of your bread pans. Roll each rectangle into a log, and place seam-side down into greased 9X5″ bread pans. Cover, and let rise until almost doubled, 20-30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees, then bake the risen loaves until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the center reads 205 degrees, or the bread sounds hollow when turned from the pan and tapped on the bottom. Turn both loaves immediately out of the pans and let cool completely on a wire rack.