Rick Wang's Weblog

After complaining on IRC about my problems with wheat bread, I was referred to this recipe, and the suggestion of a 2:1 whole wheat:bread flour ratio. Well, I was determined to keep it 100% whole wheat, so I tried the recipe mostly as-is. I made two changes: freeform instead of a loaf pan, and olive oil instead of vegetable oil. The bread turned out airier than my previous attempts at whole wheat, which was heartening. However, I do not know if this is due to the recipe, the better mixing of the bread machine, using a warmed oven for rise and proof, or some combination of factors. I'm satisfied except for how the bread spread sideways during proof, despite my attempts to give it surface tension during the shaping. It also deflated significantly when I slashed in the score marks. The honey, dry milk and oil did a great job smoothing out the whole wheat taste and this bread is decent enough to enjoy by itself.