Nobody can resist the smell of freshly baked bread. Especially when it’s your own bread and baked with love. It’s almost like a spell, hypnotising those nearby into tearing apart the hot loaf and devouring it whole. Just me? Okay.

Of all the bread recipes I’ve come across, this recipe appeals to me the most. The first time I made this bread, we had it to dunk in Greek beef stew for Christmas Day. It wasn’t your typical turkey, but it was bloody good.

If freshly baked bread is just what you need, try this fabulous recipe and let us know what you think!

My obsession with whole wheat bread: I blame Germany

As Germany became my home country, I adopted a love for good bread. And believe it or not, I always miss whole-wheat bread when I travel.

German bread often has a dense texture and a slightly sour taste. It’s usually made from a combination of wheat, rye, and barley flour. Some popular types of German bread include sourdough bread, different seeds (my favourite is with pumpkin seeds), rye bread, and I’d be remiss not to mention amazing German pretzels that I will bake myself one day.

You won’t believe me, but in the German language, there is a term – Brotzeit – that literally means “bread time.” In general, it refers to a small meal or snack that is typically taken in the middle of the day and involves whole wheat flour bread. In my cousin’s family, they have a brotzeit for dinner and it often includes various types of bread and butter, cold cuts, cheeses, and spreads, fruits like grapes, vegetables, pickled cucumbers or yummy peppers, and sometimes a beer or wine.

And so one day, far away from Germany, in Belize, this whole wheat bread recipe found me. Such an easy and amazing recipe for a loaf of excellent bread that’s soft and tender on the inside, with a crispy and delicious crust on the top.

Are you convinced yet? Let me make this great recipe for homemade bread even more appealing: you only need 3 main ingredients. It’s such an easy recipe! Isn’t it amazing?

Without further ado, let’s get baking.

Ingredients:

• Whole wheat flour: 400 g
• Active dry yeast: 6 g
• Water: 350 ml
• Sugar: 1 tsp
• Salt: 12 g

How to make whole wheat bread:

1. Dissolve the dry yeast in 350 ml of warm water, and watch as the bubbles begin to appear on the surface.

2. Add a touch of sugar (1 tsp) and a pinch of salt (12 g), and mix all ingredients together.

3. Gently stir in the whole wheat flour using a wooden spoon or a stand mixer, until it’s mixed well. No need to knead the bread; the yeast will do all the work for you.

4. Leave the dough and let it rise in a warm place. Allow the magic of fermentation to begin.

5. Once the dough has risen, preheat the oven to 250 degrees. Carefully transfer the dough into a loaf pan and cover it, letting it rise some more while the oven heats up.

6. Bake for 40 minutes, or until a golden brown crispy crust has formed and the delicious aroma has filled up your kitchen.

7. Let the bread cool completely. Resist the urge to break into it immediately. But if you can’t wait, go ahead and savour the first slice of the crispy edges, or “the bread’s bum” as I like to call them.

8. Store the bread in a paper bag or bread box, instead of plastic bags. It’ll stay fresh for longer and remain crusty.

Tips:

• For this recipe, you can experiment with various types of bread flour to create a unique flavour and texture. A combination of white or all-purpose flour and wheat flour, such as 300 grams of white flour and 100 grams of wheat flour, can add depth and complexity to your bread. Additionally, the flour used in different regions may vary, so you may need to adjust the amount of wholemeal flour to achieve the perfect consistency of your dough.
• For those who enjoy bread with seeds, you can add a touch of crunch and nuttiness by incorporating sunflower or pumpkin seeds into the dough, or by topping the bread with sunflower seeds or sesame seeds before baking. The possibilities are endless, so let your creativity soar as you bake your delicious bread.
• Keep an eye on the bread during the baking process as whole wheat bread can burn more easily than white bread.
• If you don’t have loaf pans, you can always form small buns instead. They can be a fun alternative to traditional loaves of bread.
• Freezing the bread is also a great idea. You can wrap the bread tightly in plastic wrap or aluminium foil, then place it in a resealable freezer bag. When you’re ready to eat it, simply remove it from the freezer and place it in a 175°C oven for 10-15 minutes, or until it’s warm and crusty again.
• Another tip, if you want to have a more crispy crust after freezing, you can mist the bread with water before baking in the oven. The steam will help to re-crisp the crust.

Making bread to complement other meals

Whole wheat bread is a great addition to soups like borscht. The heartiness of the bread pairs well with the flavorful bean stew of Tavce Gravce as well. You can also use it to mop up the sauce of a traditional pastitsada.

A few slices from your loaf of whole wheat bread can be a good way to add some extra nutrition to your meal. Whole wheat bread can also be enjoyed with butter or jam as a breakfast or snack, or as a base for sandwiches.

The options are endless, and it’s a very versatile bread. I hope you will find it as delicious as we do!

Don’t forget to explore our other mouth-watering recipe options.