This hearty 50% wholemeal bread tastes fantastic and can be made on the regular setting in the bread-maker. Using a good strong white flour it will raise well producing a nice and light loaf.
Wholemeal flour still contains the outer shell, as a result it has a lot less gluten than white flour. That’s why there’s a special mode for wholemeal flour on many bread-makers that allows more proving time. However, because we are using only 50% wholemeal flour we can use the regular setting. They allow more time for the dough to rise, so much that if used for white flour it will over-prove.
I normally add a handful (about 25g) of mixed seeds in this recipe, but it is probably just as good without.
For this recipe, it is baked on the regular setting, just about any bread-maker can bake this loaf.
Bread-maker 50 percent wholemeal sliced
Ingredients
- 300ml luke-warm water
- 2 tbsp oil (olive/vegetable or 10g butter)
- 250 gram of strong white bread flour
- 250 gram of strong wholemeal flour
- About 1/2 tbsp of sugar (I use regular brown)
- 10 gram (1 tsp) salt
- 7 grams (1 heaped tsp) of dried yeast
- 1 handful of mixed seeds (optional, your choice)
Method
Most bread makers suggest that you add the liquid ingredients first, so I’ve structured the ingredient list that way. If you’re using fresh yeast instead of dried powdered yeast, warm up the water slightly and crumble the yeast into the water along with the sugar for a few minutes before anything else.
Once you’ve put the liquids into the machine, then add both flours followed by other ingredients. Measure it in carefully. Don’t let the salt and yeast come into contact until the mixing starts.
Set the bread-maker to the regular setting, and I tend to use the darker/longer baking option. If you’re not that used to your bread-maker, probably start on the medium setting.
Once the bread is ready, take it out of the basket as soon as possible and put onto a wire rack. The basket will be very hot, take care when removing it. If the base is soft, I normally turn the loaf upside down for a few minutes once it is removed. It makes the base more crispy. Just remember after a few minutes turn it back the regular way around.
Loaf turned upside down
Always wait for the bread to cool before eating it, when it’s hot it is still cooking!
