Whole Wheat It!
I often wonder how the no-knead dough principle will work on whole wheat flour. I haven't used it in any of my bread making activities. I do use it for pancakes and waffles but not for baking. Well I can't be wondering forever so I grabbed my bag of whole wheat flour and made a batch of dough. I used grade B maple syrup instead of honey just to find out the difference.
I can't stop singing praises about this recipe and who wouldn't? It is the easiest, no-fuss dough recipe that yields the softest, tastiest bread and all you have to do is stir and stir and just let it sit in the fridge for all the flavors to develop- the longer it stays chillin, the deeper the flavors will be.
Anyway, just for those who wants to try so you need not click on a link to the recipe- here goes:
No-knead Whole Wheat Dough
Ingredients:
1 3/4 cups lukewarm water
1 1/2 tbsp instant yeast
1 tsp kosher salt
4 lg eggs, slightly beaten
1/2 cup maple syrup
1 stick unsalted butter, melted
7 cups whole wheat flour
Procedure:
In a large bowl, mix together the eggs, water, maple syrup, melted butter, yeast and salt. Stir well with a wooden spoon. Add in the flour. Stir until you don’t see any more dry bits of flour (about a minute). Cover (not airtight) and stick it in the refrigerator overnight, or up to 4 days. The longer you keep it in the fridge, the better tasting the dough will be.
The first thing I made is a loaf of bread which I topped with some toasted sesame seeds. I took out a grapefruit sized chunk of the dough and with floured hands just shaped it into a small loaf. Place in a greased loaf pan; brush the top with milk and sprinkle sesame seeds. Cover loosely with plastic and allow to rise until double in size, about an hour then bake at 350 degrees F for 35 minutes.
It is crusty on the outside and tender on the inside.
I had to make some sweet cream butter to slather into the bread with my homemade strawberry jam left over from the German pancake episode. So I call this ensemble my homemade trio- bread, butter and jam. Simple but hey, I made them all :-)
The dough test is not over yet. I decided make sticky buns. Caramel apples seem to be haunting me for quite sometime but I wanted cinnamon rolls though. However, cooking the apples in caramel sauce made me change my mind. Why not use the sauce as the goo since I have to drain the cooked apples before using as filling.
Whole Wheat Apple Sticky Buns
Ingredients:
For the dough
A cantaloupe sized chunk of the whole wheat dough
For the caramel apples
3 Granny Smith apples
3 Fuji or Gala apples
1 stick unsalted butter
a pinch of salt
1 cup brown sugar
juice of 1 lemon
1/3 cup half and half or heavy cream
For the cinnamon sugar filling
4 tbl unsalted butter, softened
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tbsp roasted Saigon cinnamon
Directions:
Peel, core and slice the apples thinly
Toss with lemon juice to prevent browning
Melt sugar and butter in a non-stick pan over medium heat
Add the apples and simmer stirring constantly when it becomes bubbly
Add half and half or heavy cream and stir.
Remove from the stove when the apples are tender. Don't worry about over cooking or making the apples mushy. It will only become chewy-soft but never soggy
Drain the apples and allow to cool in a plate
Meanwhile, transfer the caramel sauce or goo in a greased pan and set aside - I use a 9 x 11 one
Roll out the whole wheat dough in a floured surface
Brush with softened butter
Sprinkle with the brown sugar-cinnamon mixture
Spread about a cup or so of the drained caramel apples on top; store any left over in the fridge in a lidded container for future use
Roll it up and pinch the ends to seal
Then with a floured knife, cut the roll into 9 equal pieces (supposedly but somehow ended with smaller pieces- oh well, Alton said perfect is only for the factory ha ha)
Arrange in the pan with the goo, making sure to leave an inch or so space from each other. I realized I had to take out one little piece so it ended with eight.
Bake at 350 degrees F for 35 minutes.
While still hot, run a knife thorough the sides of the pan and invert into a platter or tray
I wish I had taken better pictures but it was kind of toxic in the kitchen. I will make this again for sure. Texture-wise, I can't complain because the bread is soft like I want it to be and of course, whole wheat is definitely healthy.
I can't stop singing praises about this recipe and who wouldn't? It is the easiest, no-fuss dough recipe that yields the softest, tastiest bread and all you have to do is stir and stir and just let it sit in the fridge for all the flavors to develop- the longer it stays chillin, the deeper the flavors will be.
Anyway, just for those who wants to try so you need not click on a link to the recipe- here goes:
No-knead Whole Wheat Dough
Ingredients:
1 3/4 cups lukewarm water
1 1/2 tbsp instant yeast
1 tsp kosher salt
4 lg eggs, slightly beaten
1/2 cup maple syrup
1 stick unsalted butter, melted
7 cups whole wheat flour
Procedure:
In a large bowl, mix together the eggs, water, maple syrup, melted butter, yeast and salt. Stir well with a wooden spoon. Add in the flour. Stir until you don’t see any more dry bits of flour (about a minute). Cover (not airtight) and stick it in the refrigerator overnight, or up to 4 days. The longer you keep it in the fridge, the better tasting the dough will be.
The first thing I made is a loaf of bread which I topped with some toasted sesame seeds. I took out a grapefruit sized chunk of the dough and with floured hands just shaped it into a small loaf. Place in a greased loaf pan; brush the top with milk and sprinkle sesame seeds. Cover loosely with plastic and allow to rise until double in size, about an hour then bake at 350 degrees F for 35 minutes.
It is crusty on the outside and tender on the inside.
I had to make some sweet cream butter to slather into the bread with my homemade strawberry jam left over from the German pancake episode. So I call this ensemble my homemade trio- bread, butter and jam. Simple but hey, I made them all :-)
The dough test is not over yet. I decided make sticky buns. Caramel apples seem to be haunting me for quite sometime but I wanted cinnamon rolls though. However, cooking the apples in caramel sauce made me change my mind. Why not use the sauce as the goo since I have to drain the cooked apples before using as filling.
Whole Wheat Apple Sticky Buns
Ingredients:
For the dough
A cantaloupe sized chunk of the whole wheat dough
For the caramel apples
3 Granny Smith apples
3 Fuji or Gala apples
1 stick unsalted butter
a pinch of salt
1 cup brown sugar
juice of 1 lemon
1/3 cup half and half or heavy cream
For the cinnamon sugar filling
4 tbl unsalted butter, softened
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tbsp roasted Saigon cinnamon
Directions:
Peel, core and slice the apples thinly
Toss with lemon juice to prevent browning
Melt sugar and butter in a non-stick pan over medium heat
Add the apples and simmer stirring constantly when it becomes bubbly
Add half and half or heavy cream and stir.
Remove from the stove when the apples are tender. Don't worry about over cooking or making the apples mushy. It will only become chewy-soft but never soggy
Drain the apples and allow to cool in a plate
Meanwhile, transfer the caramel sauce or goo in a greased pan and set aside - I use a 9 x 11 one
Roll out the whole wheat dough in a floured surface
Brush with softened butter
Sprinkle with the brown sugar-cinnamon mixture
Spread about a cup or so of the drained caramel apples on top; store any left over in the fridge in a lidded container for future use
Roll it up and pinch the ends to seal
Then with a floured knife, cut the roll into 9 equal pieces (supposedly but somehow ended with smaller pieces- oh well, Alton said perfect is only for the factory ha ha)
Arrange in the pan with the goo, making sure to leave an inch or so space from each other. I realized I had to take out one little piece so it ended with eight.
Bake at 350 degrees F for 35 minutes.
While still hot, run a knife thorough the sides of the pan and invert into a platter or tray
I wish I had taken better pictures but it was kind of toxic in the kitchen. I will make this again for sure. Texture-wise, I can't complain because the bread is soft like I want it to be and of course, whole wheat is definitely healthy.
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