100% White Whole Wheat Sandwich Bread

May 17th, 2009 by SteveB

As a child, I, like many other Americans, had been conditioned (unintentionally, I’m sure… no conspiracy theory here!) to think of bread as merely an adjunct; a pasty white, flavorless platform for slices of lunch meat, peanut butter or any other filling that happened to find its way into my school lunch sandwich. But sandwich bread doesn’t have to be dull and uninspired. With a little imagination, even simple sandwich bread can take center stage, providing both a satisfying, deep wheaty flavor and needed nutrition.

This 100% whole wheat sandwich bread is made from flour derived from white spring wheat, rather than the red wheat that goes into making conventional whole wheat flour. The resulting white wheat flour has a less biting flavor, making it ideal for sandwich bread even for those, like myself, who do not like the taste of conventional whole wheat bread. And while whole wheat breads can tend to be dense and heavy, this bread has a light and airy crumb, in part due to the double flour addition technique that is used during the mixing of the dough. Butter and dried milk powder provide a richness and tenderness to the crumb. Finally, a touch of honey lends just the right note of sweetness.

Poolish

185 g King Arthur White Whole Wheat Flour

185 g Water

1/16 tsp. Instant Yeast

Final Dough

460 g King Arthur White Whole Wheat Flour

370 g (all of the above) Poolish

260 g Water

15 g Dried Milk Powder

1 3/4 tsp. Instant Yeast

15 g Salt

40 g Honey

90 g Butter

The evening prior to baking, the ingredients of the poolish are mixed and allowed to ferment overnight at 70°F until mature, about 12 hours.

The next morning, the flour, dried milk powder, instant yeast and salt are combined. To the bowl of a stand mixer is added the mature poolish, water, honey and 125 g of the flour mixture. Using the whisk attachment, the combined mixture is then whisked on speed 3 until lightly aerated, about 1-2 minutes. The whisk attachment is then replaced with a spiral dough hook, the rest of the flour mixture is added and all the ingredients are mixed on the lowest speed (stir) until a homogeneous dough is formed, about 3 minutes. The mixer speed is then increased to speed 3 and the dough is mixed to medium gluten development, about 3 minutes. While the mixer is still running, the butter is then added piece by piece and mixing is continued until all the butter is incorporated and a smooth dough is obtained, about an additional 3 minutes.

The dough is then placed in a lightly oiled, covered container and is allowed to ferment at 72ºF for 1 hour. Halfway through this 1 hour fermentation, the dough is given a fold.

After the first fermentation, the dough is divided into two pieces and each piece is lightly rounded. After a rest of 15 minutes under a plastic sheet, the dough pieces are formed into loaves as shown here and placed into buttered loaf pans.

The loaves are then placed into a small homemade proof box and allowed to undergo their second fermentation at 78ºF for 1 hour. The loaves are then baked in a 350°F oven for 50 minutes, with steam being supplied during the first 10 minutes of baking

Tags: sandwich bread, white whole wheat

Posted in Rich Doughs

63 Responses to “100% White Whole Wheat Sandwich Bread”

on 18 May 2009 at 3:01 am1Jane

Looks great! No Wonderbread happening there! We can’t buy the different types of whole wheat and the millers don’t even specify on bags, we’d have to call and ask. But I know I’ve never seen white whole wheat. Too bad. You could fake out a great number of white bread eating children with that nice light colored and textured true whole wheat.
on 18 May 2009 at 8:01 am2MC

Beautiful loaf, Steve! I too love white whole wheat. It has been developed rather recently to try and bring more whole wheat flour to the diet of the American consumer. From what I learned at SFBI, the red pigment is actually what is responsible for the slight bitterness in wheat. Removing it made the flour more palatable. However it is still a more fragile crop, less resistant to bugs and diseases, which is the reason it hasn’t overwhelmed the market yet. That’s okay with me. I like having choices!
on 18 May 2009 at 9:33 am3Eric

Looks great Steve. I haven’t tried the double flour addition in my DLX yet. Have you mixed the first components in the plastic bowl and switched to the SS bowl and roller for the remainder?
on 18 May 2009 at 4:20 pm4Stefanie

That is really an gorgeous loaf! I learned just this weekend, that there exists something called “White Wheat”. It never crossed my way here in germany. I will look, if I can find it somewhere here, because I think it is stunning, that you can bake an whole wheat bread that looks and taste more like a white Sandwichbread although I loved whole grain breads very much.
on 18 May 2009 at 8:06 pm5SteveB

Jane, the other thing I should mention is that the KA white whole wheat flour appears to be milled to a finer particle size, and is therefore more homogeneous, than traditional whole wheat flours. Like regular whole wheat flour, long term storage is best accomplished under refrigeration to delay the onset of rancidity.

MC, as you mentioned, although white whole wheat has been around for some time, only relatively recently has there been a concerted effort to bring white whole wheat flour to the general baking public. The compounds that give traditional red wheat its color (and somewhat biting flavor) belong to the general class of compounds known as polyphenols (anthocyanin pigments being a member of this group) . If I remember correctly, scientists have identified 3 genes that are responsible for the expression of the red wheat pigments. White wheat is missing these genes.

Eric, I’ve never tried the double flour technique using my DLX. If I had to change bowls in between the first and second flour addition, as would be necessary with the DLX, I think I would probably just mix by hand.

Stefanie, if you are able to find some white whole wheat flour in Germany, I highly recommend that you try it. I think you’ll really enjoy the flavor.
on 21 May 2009 at 5:11 pm6Beverly Whipple

Do you have the same recipe , 100 % White Whole Wheat Sandwich Bread in standard cups, tsp. measurements? If you do I’d be interested in trying it.
on 21 May 2009 at 5:40 pm7SteveB

Beverly, I’m sorry but I do not have the volume equivalents for the ingredients I use in my formulae. Measuring ingredients by volume is notoriously imprecise so I therefore recommend to all those who are serious about baking that they invest in an inexpensive kitchen scale.
In the interim, perhaps the conversion utility posted here might be of help to you.
on 22 May 2009 at 12:30 am8Sara

Yes! I am excited to make this. It looks wonderful and I can’t wait to try a whole wheat loaf recipe that won’t taste so much like whole wheat. Thanks.
on 22 May 2009 at 8:55 am9Flo Makanai

Steve, that loaf is beautiful. As Jane mentions it above, no white whole wheat in France. But we do have whole spelt flour. I know, I know, it’s extremely different in taste and behavior. BUT I’d like to try your recipe with that whole spelt flour : I would have the nutrients of a whole grain flour and those delicate flavors spelt bread have. My worry is that spelt doughs often lack structure, but as this bread is baked in loaf pans…
You know I’m pathologically unable to reproduce a recipe without changing a thing or two so I’ll put in “your” whole (spelt) bread, dried goat milk, too, and no butter but olive oil!
Oh my, when I think I’m trying to teach my kids to obey their teachers… !!
Have a nice and (hopefully sunny) day Steve! I was missing your bread posts.
on 22 May 2009 at 10:50 am10SteveB

Sara, I think you’ll really enjoy the flavor of this bread.

Flo, I’ll make a deal with you… if we ever meet, I’ll bring you some white whole wheat flour if you bring me some dried goat’s milk!
on 23 May 2009 at 4:14 am11Flo Makanai

That’s a deal! And I hope we’ll meet someday!
on 01 Jun 2009 at 8:05 pm12JanH

Steve, have you tried holding half the dough in the refrigerator for a couple of days? I don’t care for bread that has been frozen, so I prefer to bake fresh each time. With just the 2 of us, two loaves of bread get stale before they are eaten.
on 02 Jun 2009 at 3:20 pm13SteveB

Jan, I think retarding the dough for two days might be pushing it. Whole wheat dough tends to ferment a bit quicker than dough made solely from white flour. I go with freezing one of the baked loaves after it has cooled.
on 05 Jun 2009 at 1:35 pm14shem

350F for 50 min? I bet your crust turned out hard. When I bake whole wheat I use a temperature probe. You only need to get the interior to 200F…..which takes 23 min. at 400F. My crust turns out thin and soft. Also, adding 5% of flour weight in extra gluten and working to full development makes a lighter loaf.
on 05 Jun 2009 at 1:49 pm15SteveB

shem, you’d lose that bet!
Due to the presence of butter and honey in the dough, the crust comes out quite soft, as evidenced by the clean cuts through the crust. Using the double flour addition technique give a light crumb, eliminating the need to add additional gluten.
on 29 Jul 2009 at 1:45 pm16Alexandra

S.,
I found your site today via Rose Levy’s..and I am enamored with your love and dedication toward bread!
I love the photo of your 100% white whole wheat bread. What size of loaf pan did you use?
I will try your recipe as I have tried several others, but felt like something was missing. your double flour technique is my must try!
on 29 Jul 2009 at 2:07 pm17SteveB

Alexandra, I’m glad you’re enjoying the website.
I used a standard 8½” x 4½” loaf pan for this recipe.
on 09 Sep 2009 at 10:02 am18Bread Adventures « The Imperfect Science

[...] I found this great 100% whole wheat bread recipe from a very interesting blog called Bread Cetera. The recipe gives most units in amounts of grams [...]
on 31 Oct 2009 at 12:41 pm19Gabriela

Hello, your bread looks wonderful. I was trainning to do other recipes,but I think thats great, my problem: I dont know to give a beautiful form, always break in some place, I am sorry, I am learning english, but your page is so interesanting, I make bread every days and this is the best place to learn.
on 31 Oct 2009 at 11:09 pm20SteveB

Hello Gabriela and thanks for the kind words.
It takes a lot of practice shaping breads to give a loaf with good form. A good place to start is with the batard shape. A video of this shaping technique can be found here. If you find that your unbaked loaves are splitting during the second fermentation (proofing), it could mean that the gluten wasn’t developed sufficiently or that the dough was too dry. If the loaves are splitting during the bake, that may be due to underproofing the loaves.
on 10 Nov 2009 at 4:39 pm21Stephanie

Steve,

Thanks so much for your comment! I’ll definitely take your advice when I try to tackle this bread again.
Your recipes look fantastic. I really enjoy reading your blog!

Steph
on 10 Nov 2009 at 5:09 pm22SteveB

Steph, I’m glad you enjoy the blog. A large part of learning good bread baking technique comes from repeatedly making the same bread over and over again (not unlike a musician practicing his or her scales). Keep at it and soon you’ll be the next up and coming young artisanal bread baker in Chicago!
on 16 Dec 2009 at 8:05 pm23louise

I tried this today and it turned out perfect. I bought lave rocks in home depot and use it for steaming. Can I use Whole wheat instead of white whole wheat bread?
on 16 Dec 2009 at 9:12 pm24SteveB

louise, substituting regular whole wheat flour for white whole wheat flour would work fine. Just be aware that the flavor might be a bit more assertive.
on 12 Jan 2010 at 1:13 am25Thor

This recipe, with yeast in the poolish and the dough, reminds me of a “spiked” sourdough recipe, except using instant yeast for both parts. I’m thinking of substituting 100g of 100% hydration sourdough starter for 50g each of the flour/water in the poolish, and omitting the instant yeast from the poolish. Do you think this would work out well? I haven’t made many whole wheat sourdough breads.
on 12 Jan 2010 at 12:39 pm26SteveB

Thor, if you want your bread to maintain the same quantity of prefermented flour as the formula in this post, then you would use 370 g of a mature, 100% hydration whole wheat starter instead of the poolish . Please note, though, that this will probably result in a denser crumb and a somewhat different flavor profile.
on 08 Feb 2010 at 3:12 am27Michael

I’m with Thor, only I’m trying 20% of the total weight is starter. I have no idea if that is a good idea or not, I just know rec.sourdough suggests 5-20% starter.
on 16 Jun 2010 at 3:02 pm28Penny

Hi Steve,
Just discovered your bread blog and love it–what an inspiration for a novice bread baker! I have been searching for a lighter whole wheat bread and think I have finally found it in your recipe. I have a couple of questions and hope they’ve not been answered elsewhere. First, what kind of salt do you use in this recipe, e.g., table salt, kosher salt, sea salt? Secondly, is the butter chilled or at room temperature when you add it to the mix?
Thanks again so very much for your insight and the beautiful photos.
Penny
on 16 Jun 2010 at 4:13 pm29SteveB

Hi Penny,
I’m glad to hear that you enjoy perusing the posts on Bread cetera.
The salt that I use for most of the bread recipes that I describe, unless otherwise noted, is kosher salt. The butter added to the mixture in this recipe is at a cool room temperature; cool enough to be pliable but with no indication of melting.
on 04 Sep 2010 at 11:53 pm30Frederic

Hi Steve,

Thanks for your site — it’s a great resource! I’ve tried both the 100% White Whole Wheat Sandwich Bread and the Baguettes with Poolish on your site. The baguettes turned out pretty well (except for the crumb being a bit too dense/yeasty, probably because I didn’t score deep enough — but the crust was great!).

For the sandwich bread described here, the crumb was great, but the crust was too hard to be used as a ‘sandwich’ bread. However, I see in comment #15 that you mentioned the butter would help in softening it up. Foolishly, I felt that there would be too much butter in the recipe, so I halved the amount called for (you know, thinking healthy…) — and I’m guessing that’s why the crust turned out too ‘crisp’. Would you have any recommendations for a healthier alternative to butter in this recipe, or might you change the baking time/temperature?

Thanks,
Frederic
on 07 Sep 2010 at 4:19 pm31SteveB

Hi Frederic,
I’m glad you’re enjoying the site.
As you’ve discovered, the presence or absence of butter, or any fat or oil for that matter, can play a key role in determining the texture of both the crust and crumb of a bread. While I would prefer not to give any uninformed advice as to what oil or fat is a healthy alternative to butter (I’m a firm believer that butter is fine in moderation), feel free to experiment with other fats or oils such as olive oil, coconut oil, etc.
on 10 Sep 2010 at 12:48 pm32Jaymie

I’ve got the dough for this bread on my counter — initial rise — as I type. I’ll let you know how it goes! Great site!
on 28 Sep 2010 at 4:22 pm33Carolyn

Steve, what a great site! I am going to try this bread, and I was wondering why you add the butter at the end of the knead rather at the beginning. Also, could the poolish go longer than 12 hours?
on 28 Sep 2010 at 7:03 pm34SteveB

Hi Carolyn,

I’m glad you’re enjoying the site.

Butter, in sufficient quantity, has a tendency to disrupt the formation of long gluten chains. This is also true of other fats and oils. Therefore, to insure the gluten is properly developed, the butter is added towards the end of the mixing period.

For maximum activity and best flavor, a poolish should always be used at its maximum volume, just before it begins to collapse. Using the amount of yeast and at the temperature specified in the post, the poolish will reach this point in 12 hours. If you wish to extend the maturation time of the poolish, you can either slightly reduce the temperature or decrease the amount of yeast used in making the poolish.
on 29 Oct 2010 at 4:29 pm35bakeuhappu

hi steve,
finally got around to trying the recipe with red wheat flour.had problem of cracking and after baking the top of the bread shrinks but i must confess the bread is very tasty.
on 07 Dec 2010 at 10:00 pm36Silvie

First off – love this blog. I moved from an Italian neighbourhood in Vancouver to a remote village on the west coast of Vancouver Island. It’s beautiful here but I dearly miss the artisanal breads offered by city bakeries. So – did the baguettes – flavourful but a lot of slapping… then made the ciabatta twice – with great success. So – without white whole wheat flour on hand – I made this recipe exactly as directed except subbed flour – used half regular whole wheat flour and half unbleached AP. The loaves turned out exceptionally well – light texture and very, very tasty. Thought others with difficulty sourcing white wheat might want to know that a 50/50 blend works very well. Also – as one commenter mentioned, I just use my oven with the light on for fermentation stages for poolish and dough.
on 27 Dec 2010 at 5:16 am37Lynn

Hi,
I’m so thrilled to have stumbled on your site, so envious of all these drool worthy breads u bake! As i’m totally new to bread making and am thinking of starting with this recipe, hope this question won’t sound silly. What do u mean by:”The loaves are then baked in a 350°F oven for 50 minutes, with steam being supplied during the first 10 minutes of baking” ? Does this mean we place the bread tin in a tray of water to create the steam (because i dont have a steam oven)?
on 27 Dec 2010 at 7:58 am38SteveB

Hi Lynn,
For a description of my steaming technique, please see here.
on 04 Jan 2011 at 8:11 am39Lisa Leong

This is what I should do. “I pick a day a week and spend half of it preparing the bread for the rest of the week.” I am really struggle to find time to make good food for my family.
Your bread looks awesome! How do you manage to get the dough to raise evenly? I will try out your recipe this weekend. I am going to adapt the recipe to my Pullman tin. Due to the budget constraint, I didn’t buy the non stick version Pullman tin. Guess what after I bought the tin, I found most of the dough won’t stick to the aluminium pan. After come out from oven, just give the tin light shake, the loaf will drop off effortlessly. Here is my pan.

Thanks for sharing the recipes.
on 04 Jan 2011 at 2:29 pm40SteveB

Lisa,
An even rise can be obtained through a tight and even shaping of the dough before it undergoes its final fermentation (proofing).
on 06 Jan 2011 at 10:41 am41Thendral

SteveB,

Thank you very much for the excellent recipe. Is it possible to modify this to use bread machine? I am not sure how to convert this to quantity to make 2lb loaf on the machine. Please post one to accomplish this.

Thanks
Thendral
on 06 Jan 2011 at 1:16 pm42SteveB

Hi Thendral,
I see no reason why this recipe couldn’t be made in a bread machine. To make a 2 lb loaf, simply add the weights of all the ingredients, convert the number of grams obtained into pounds, and then divide the number ’2′ (as in 2 lbs.) by that number. This is your scaling factor. Multiply all your ingredients by your scaling factor and you’re set.
on 09 Jan 2011 at 6:37 pm43Thendral

Hi SteveB,

Thanks a lot. I will try and let you know.
on 09 Feb 2011 at 12:50 pm44shane

Hi Steve,
Quick question. Why is there no autolysis period in this recipe?
thanks,
shane
on 10 Feb 2011 at 3:33 pm45SteveB

Hi Shane,
One of the purposes of an autolyse step is to allow the gluten to begin forming before mixing begins so that the time for mixing can be reduced, thus preventing overoxidation and preserving some of the subtle flavor and aroma components of the dough. With this particular dough, whether it was because of the presence of milk powder, butter or honey, I just didn’t find it to be necessary.
on 21 Feb 2011 at 4:39 pm46Stephen

Dear Steve,

I love your recipes, and the character of your blog generally.
Would you be willing from time to time to give indications of what the texture should be like (sticky, smooth, etc.)? I don’t always have the called-for flours on hand, and it can be hard how to tell when the dough has enough flour or water, has been worked enough, etc.

A question on this sandwich loaf: mine seemed rather wet, and then didn’t rise as high as yours did; might this have been a consequence of its being too wet? I did bake under steam, but unfortunately I haven’t yet managed to acquire the system you’re using (which looks wonderful).

With best wishes,

Stephen
on 23 Feb 2011 at 2:44 pm47SteveB

Hi Stephen,
Thanks for the suggestion. A complete description of the dough after mixing should include both the level of gluten development (as judged by the window pane test) and the firmness of the dough. I’ll try to remember to include both in future posts.
The dough for the sandwich bread described in the post above should have a moderate firmness; it shouldn’t be loose enough to flow like a ciabatta dough yet it shouldn’t be overly firm either.
on 25 Apr 2011 at 2:55 am48rahim

dear steve,
hi.
i baked your 100% WWW bread and every thing was great specially the flavor & crumbs. but it doesn’t turn golden like your bread. i am using an old oven which has no heat convection ( has no fan to circulate the heat) do you think i have to increase the temperature?
on 25 Apr 2011 at 3:08 pm49SteveB

Hi Rahim,
A convection oven isn’t required to produce a golden brown crust (I use a non-convection, conventional residential kitchen oven). Overproofing and baking at too low a temperature are two potential causes of a lackluster crust.
on 03 May 2011 at 11:10 am50David

My understanding is that white whole wheat is the standard whole wheat as grown in Europe or at least in the UK and that the red whole wheat is traditionally specific to North America. Certainly the white whole wheat as sold in the US appears a lot more like standard whole wheat as I’m used to in the UK.
on 15 Sep 2011 at 11:39 am51shane

Hi Steve,
Thanks again for all the great recipes. i have a quick question. If i am doubling a recipe do i double the yeast in the polish and bread? I remember reading somewhere that yeast was treated differently when scaling up recipes. thanks again, i love your site.
shane
on 15 Sep 2011 at 12:54 pm52SteveB

Hi Shane,

You should be able to double all the ingredients in the recipe, including the yeast, without any problem.
on 08 Oct 2011 at 6:15 pm53lisa

i love your site! lot’s of great info!
I am realizing why my whole wheat bread recipe is not turning out. besides being a newbie to bread baking. i am wondering how to change/help my recipe so it will turn out for me and not be a brick. lol I really like to add extra grains in for more of a multi grain wheat bread. but i also would like it to be more like a sandwich bread soft and fold-able. I had it turn out once but have never had it turn out again. I have no clue how to know if i have too much liquid, or not enough liquid. how would i know if my recipe is well “balanced” or not, and how to change it if it needs it.
Thanks in advanced for all your help
Lisa
on 10 Oct 2011 at 4:37 pm54SteveB

Hi Lisa,

As you are a self-professed ‘newbie’ to bread baking, I highly recommend that you add Bread: A Baker’s Book of Techniques and Recipes by Jeffrey Hamelman or Bread Baking: An Artisan’s Perspective by Daniel DiMuzio to your current reading list. Either of these books will give you a firm foundation of bread baking knowledge that will serve you well in helping you to identify solutions to any problems you may encounter. After you’ve read one or both of these books, I would be glad to answer any specific questions you might have.
on 25 Jan 2012 at 11:27 pm55Kristin

For lactose intolerant people what can they use instead of nonfat dry milk?
on 30 Jan 2012 at 12:05 pm56SteveB

Hi Kristin,

Not being lactose intolerant myself, I can’t say I have a lot of experience with direct substitutes for dried milk powder. Perhaps another reader might chime in with some suggestions. Also, you may be interested in Pain Héloïse, a bread specifically formulated for a young girl with dairy allergies.
on 05 Mar 2012 at 8:23 pm57Dr Dave

Hi Steve,
Thanks for ALL of your helpful instght. I started baking my own breads with the formulas and techniques from your site a little over a year ago. It all started with focaccia and now I’m an addict!! The Scali and Focaccia are my family’s as well as my office staff’s favorites. I now make breads at least weekly. I have tried a few different flours with mixed results. I have had great success both with availability and results with the Trader Joe’s brand of 100% white whole wheat flour. I thought I would pass that along.
Happy Baking,
Dr Dave
P.S. I found an excellent braiding video for 3,4,5,and 6 strand braids and placed the address below. Check it out and let me know what you think.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=peBLtCEOlA0
on 06 Mar 2012 at 5:13 pm58SteveB

Hi Dr. Dave,

I’m glad to hear that you enjoy baking some of the breads posted on Bread cetera.

Thanks for the video links. One of my favorite videos showing how to construct a six-stranded braid can be found here.
on 21 Apr 2012 at 10:42 pm59Becky

Looking forward to trying this recipe! The poolish is sitting in my basement as we speak. You don’t mention the temperature of the water — does it have to be warm? That’s what I’m used to with yeast breads, but maybe it’s different when you start with a poolish?

Also, I’m planning on mixing it by hand (first with a whisk, then adding the rest of the flour and kneading). Do you think that will work?

Thanks for such wonderful instructions! The video about shaping loaves was very helpful.
on 22 Apr 2012 at 7:29 pm60SteveB

Hi Becky,

The water should be at a temperature which will produce a dough at around 76-78°F after mixing. The water temperature can be calculated using the formula shown here.

Hand mixing should work fine with this recipe.
on 22 Apr 2012 at 9:37 pm61Becky

Thanks for the quick response, Steve! The bread came out well, though it didn’t have quite as much lift as it probably could. During the fermentation times, which I take to be rising times, I wasn’t sure if I should wait for it to double in size or something like that. Instead I just followed the minutes even when it hadn’t risen very much… perhaps I should have let it rise longer?
on 24 Apr 2012 at 7:21 pm62SteveB

Becky,

Because conditions may vary from kitchen to kitchen, the times specified in recipes should only be taken as guidelines. For the final proof, the bread is ready to be baked when a gentle poke of the surface leaves an indentation that takes about 2-3 seconds to rebound.
on 09 May 2012 at 8:11 am63BC

For the past 20-years, I’ve been baking most of my yeasted breads starting in a cold oven set to 325F once started – except sweet bread, Italian and French breads. Seems to give additional rise, and a nicer crumb, color, and shape.