Whole Wheat Sandwich Bread

My family loves sandwiches.  So when I noticed that we were rapidly becoming a 2-loaf of {expensive!} whole wheat bread per week family, I decided that something needed to change.

So I tweaked my grandma’s bread recipe a bit to come up with a light, soft, whole wheat sandwich bread the whole family could enjoy!

One of the most important things about homemade sandwich bread is getting it cut to the right size.  

I recommend slicing both loaves right away (well, once they’re cooled, that is) with an electric knife for evenness.  Then store the bread in zipper bags and fresh sandwich bread is always convenient!

Recipe Notes

For the fat, I prefer to use cooled bacon drippings, but butter, vegetable shortening, and lard will also work very well.

Whole Wheat Sandwich Bread

An Amy’s Cooking Adventures Original Recipe

2 cups warm water (around 110 degrees F)

2 packages (4 ½ tsp) active dry yeast

1/3 cup honey

1/3 cup fat (see note)

2 eggs

1 tsp salt

¼ cup vital wheat gluten

1 ¾ cups all purpose flour

4 ½ cups whole wheat flour

In the bowl of stand mixer, combine the water, yeast, honey, shortening, eggs, salt, and vital wheat gluten and all purpose flour.  Beat with the paddle attachment on medium speed until smooth, about 2 minutes.

Turn the mixer speed to low and add in the whole wheat flour, letting each cup incorporate.  As the mixture gets thick, switch to the dough hook and add the remaining flour.  Knead with the dough hook on low speed until the dough pulls away from the sides of bowl; kneading for 5 minutes after the flour has been incorporated.   The dough should be tacky, but not transfer any dough to your fingers when touched.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead a couple times to form a smooth ball.  Place the dough in a greased bowl and lightly spray the top of the dough ball with nonstick spray.  Cover the bowl lightly with plastic wrap and put in a warm place to rise until the dough is light and doubled; about 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Punch the dough down.  Split the dough into two even balls and form into loaves.  Lightly spray two 9x5 inch loaf pans with non-stick spray and place one loaf in each.  Cover the loaf pans with a damp towel and allow to rise until the dough rises and feels soft and light; 20-30 minutes.

Bake for 30-35 minutes or until deeply browned with an internal temperature of at least 190 degrees F.  Move to wire racks and cool completely.

For thin, evenly sliced bread, slice the completely cooled loaves with an electric knife.

Place the sliced bread into gallon sized bags and store in the refrigerator or freezer.

Makes 2 loaves of bread