Animal, Nature, and Travel: Taste-bud Journey: Whole Wheat Sandwich Bread with Yeast, Oats, and Seeds

During the pandemic, I am taking taste-bud journeys as I self-isolate rather than physical journeys. Here is my adapted recipe for making Whole Wheat Sandwich Bread with Yeast, Oats, and Seeds. It was inspired by watching Gemma's tutorial YouTube video included near the end of this blog. I have learned so much from watching many, many of her instructional videos.

FYI - For your convenience, I have included the full recipe to make a full loaf of bread plus the halved recipe since I only made a half of loaf of bread. I do this as I am trying to avoid so much food-waste since I live alone and don't eat a ton of bread. I've included the link of where you can purchase this half-loaf pan in case you decide this would make a good addition to your baking supplies.

Conclusion: The bread is moist and quite yummy! I could taste the sunflower and pumpkin seeds. I have always enjoyed a bit of crunch in some of my foods. The bread was absolutely yummy and had a great aftertaste. I love how easy this was to make, especially with the use of my new stand mixer.

The bread toasted very nicely! Still chasing that 'warm fuzzy' taste-memory of having roast beef made by my mom on homemade wheat bread made by my dad, I had an open-faced roast beef sandwich with mayo. Although it tasted pretty good, it is still not the right taste. Therefore, I will continue trying other wheat bread recipes until I achieve my illusive goal.

Recipe for 1 Loaf of Bread

2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/3 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
2 tablespoons ground flaxseed
1 tablespoon pumpkin seeds
1 tablespoon sunflower seeds
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
1 teaspoon poppy seeds
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 packet instant dried yeast
1 cup whole milk
3 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons honey
egg wash to glaze
extra oats and seeds for topping

Recipe for Half of a Loaf of Bread

1 cup all-purpose flour
6 tablespoon whole wheat flour
3 tablespoon old-fashioned rolled oats
1 tablespoon ground flaxseed
1 tablespoon pumpkin seeds
1 tablespoon sunflower seeds
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
1 teaspoon poppy seeds [FYI - I didn't have poppy seeds. I used Hemp Heart Seeds instead. See link below.]
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 packet instant dried yeast
1/2 cup whole milk
1.5 tablespoons butter
1/2 tablespoon honey
egg wash to glaze
extra oats and seeds for topping

In case you're interested, here is the where I purchased the half-loaf pan. I bought this since I am trying to avoid food-waste since I live alone and don't eat a ton of bread. This link will open in a new window.

CHEFMADE Mini Pullman Loaf Pan with Lid, 0.55Lb Dough Capacity Non-Stick Rectangle Flat Toast Box for Oven Baking 3.9" x 3.9"x 3.9"(Champagne Gold) from Amazon

In case you're interested, I purchased the Hemp Seeds from Walmart.com. Hemp Seed Hearts contain protein, they have a nutty flavor, and they are reported to have a few health benefits. They do need to be refrigerated after opening. The link will open in a new window. Bob'S Red Mill Hemp Seeds Hulled, 8 Oz from Walmart

Procedure

Step 1: In a large bowl, add all the dry ingredients (i.e., both flours, salt, yeast, flaxseed, oats, and seeds). Since salt can kill yeast, make certain that the salt and yeast do not touch directly. In other words, mix the salt into the flour on one side of the bowl. Work the yeast into the flour on the other side of the bowl. Then, you can gently mix all the dry ingredients together.

Step 2: In a large measuring cup, mix together the milk, butter, and honey. Allow the mixture to get slightly warm as you melt the butter in the microwave.

Step 3: Add the wet ingredients into the dry until your dough comes together and forms a ball.

Step 4: Place the dough ball onto a floured silicone mat and knead for 8 to 10 minutes OR use the dough hook on a stand mixer and knead the dough in that way. Use a spatula to push down the unmixed flour into the dough as it mixes.

Step 5: Grease a large bowl with some oil and lightly baste the outside of the dough bowl with a light coating of that oil so that it has an easier time to rise. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and then a clean towel. Seek out a draft-free location to allow it to rise for 90 minutes so that it can double in size. [FYI - I like to use my dryer. I heat a clean beach towel for 2 minutes in my dryer. Then, I wrap it around the bowl. In my apartment, which is not that well insulated, my dryer is the best draft-free location that I have.]

Step 6: Grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan. In my case, I used butter to liberally grease the inside of my half-loaf Pullman pan. Then, remove the dough from the bowl at the end of that 90 minutes. It should almost jiggle like JELL-O and have doubled in size by that time. Punch the dough down and fold it in on itself a few times. Then, shape the dough into a 9-inch fat log. You can even pinch together the seams and place that part of the dough log on the bottom of the greased pan. [FYI-The grease not only prevents the bread from sticking to the pan, it also helps the sides and the bottom of the loaf to not get too hard and crusty. I also was able to easily handle the risen dough without having to flour my hands.]

Step 7: Cover the loaf with plastic wrap and a clean towel once again and allow it to rise for 60 to 90 minutes. [FYI - In my case, I did not cover the half-loaf pan. I simply placed it, with the heated towel around it, inside the dryer for the 2nd rise.] This should give the loaf a chance to dome above the rim of the pan.

Step 8: Check it at that one-hour point as you don't want it to either deflate due to having too much time to over-rise. At that point, go ahead and preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit so that it should be fully preheated when the bread has completed its second rise and is ready to bake.

Step 9: Prior to placing the bread into the oven, gently brush it with an egg wash solution which is a mixture of egg and water. Do this very gently so that you don't accidentally deflate the dough. If desired, sprinkle the top of the loaf with a combination of oat, sesame seeds, and hemp heart seeds to give it a lovely appearance. [FYI - Egg wash is a combination of one egg and no more than 1 tablespoon of water. Since I used Egg Beaters, I used a smaller amount of each.]

Step 10: Bake the bread on the middle rack for 30 to 40 minutes or until the top of the loaf is golden brown. It should give a hollow sound when you tap it. As quickly as possible, transfer the bread from the pan to the wire wrack so that it does not keep cooking within that hot pan. Allow it to cool for about two hours. Wait until it is completely cool before slicing.

Step 11: Mine only took 30 minutes to fully cook. As I learned from Miss Mary from her Mary's Nest video, link below, baste the top of the loaf with melted butter to keep it from getting too crusty. Allow it to cook fully for 2 hours.

Step 12: Store the bread in a air-tight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. You can also refrigerate it. It also freezes well. Slice it first before freezing so that you can pull out individual slices when you desire to have a slice or two of toast.

RECIPE SOURCE: Gemma from Bigger Bolder Baking. Her tutorial video will open in a new window.

Prior to making this bread, I also watched the thirty-minute bread-making tutorial from Miss Mary of Mary's Nest and followed a couple of her tips. She is so cute! I really get a kick out of watching her tutorials, as well. That link will open in a new window.

No Knead WHOLE WHEAT Sandwich Bread – Super Soft!

Cooking Sites that have inspired me:

Books written by Debbie Dunn:

Here is the Amazon Link to all anti-bullying curriculum books plus all children’s books written by Debbie Dunn (both paperback and Kindle). It will open up in a new window.