Crusty Whole Wheat Italian Bread Recipe - Food.com (2024)

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Community Pick

Submitted by Donna M.

"A rustic, whole wheat version of Italian Bread. Posted for a request, but I haven't made it myself."

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Ready In:
2hrs 50mins

Ingredients:
8
Yields:

2 Baguettes

Serves:
16

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ingredients

  • 1 14 cups water (105-115 deg.F.)
  • 2 tablespoons light brown sugar or 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
  • 18 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1 12 teaspoons salt
  • 1 12 cups bread flour
  • 1 12 cups whole wheat flour
  • 1 package active dry yeast
  • 2 tablespoons cornmeal, for dusting baking sheet

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directions

  • ----ForBread Machine----.
  • Add all ingredients except cornmeal to bread machine pan in the order recommended by your machine's manufacturer.
  • Select dough cycle and start machine.
  • ----ConventionalMethod----.
  • In large bowl, dissolve yeast, brown sugar, and ginger in warm water.
  • Let stand 5 minutes until yeast foams.
  • Add salt and bread flour; beat well.
  • Stir in whole wheat flour to make a stiff dough.
  • Turn out onto lightly floured board and knead 10 minutes or until dough is springy, smooth and satiny.
  • Wash bowl, grease it, and add dough to bowl; turn over to grease top.
  • Let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.
  • ----Shapingand Baking----.
  • Lightly oil or grease a 14x17" baking sheet and sprinkle with cornmeal; set aside.
  • Punch down the dough.
  • Divide in half and, on a lightly floured surface, shape into long loaves, rolling each piece first into a 5x12" rectangle, then rolling each up along the long side to make a long, narrow loaf.
  • Pinch edges to seal, and taper ends.
  • Place loaves, seam side down, on prepared baking sheet.
  • Let rise until doubled, about 45 minutes.
  • Make 4-5 slashes across each loaf with sharp knife or razor blade.
  • Brush each loaf with water and sprinkle with whole wheat flour.
  • Bake in a preheated 400 degree F oven for 15-20 minutes, until loaves are browned and crisp.
  • Remove to a wire rack to cool completely.
  • NOTE: I also use a spray bottle filled with water and spray the loaves and oven walls once or twice at 5-minute intervals at the beginning of baking.
  • You could also make this into one large oblong loaf or a round loaf, but baking time would need to be increased.

Questions & Replies

Crusty Whole Wheat Italian Bread Recipe - Food.com (13)

  1. How long does it keep. Thinking of making it the day before Thanksgiving. Does it freeze well.

    atalbott1801462807

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Reviews

  1. The kids loved this one, very nice crust, lovely taste. I used 2 cups whole wheat flour, one cup unbleached all purpose (Canadian). Used the full dough cycle on the ABM. I think I had to add a couple extra tablespoons of flour and I added 4 tablespoons of ground flax. Will definitely be our "go too" bread recipe from now on. Thanks for posting :)

    Just_Ducky!!

  2. This is such a good recipe. I've made it twice now--once following the instructions exactly, and the second subbing semolina for the cornmeal and topping with soymilk & rolled oats instead of water & flour. Both times I was so pleased with the results. This is such an easy recipe for someone not very experienced with breadmaking. I'll definitely use it again.

    discolarrence

  3. Very good, indeed. However I would like to make a note about making the slashes in the top after rising but before baking...I used a very sharp knife on my beautifully risen loaves and they promptly fell completely flat. I was so disappointed! From now on I'll be putting the slashes in BEFORE I let them rise the last time. Otherwise a great recipe as is. Thanks!

    Brighid

  4. Wonderful!!! I used 100% whole wheat flour (I ground it to a fine bread flour consistency), used the bread maker for the kneading and baked it on a stone. The bottom didn't brown, though, so maybe I'll just use a sheet pan next time. But it looks amazing! So good just with butter or dipped in olive oil and balsamic. And my kids are devouring it! Thank you for this great recipe!!!

  5. WOW.....didn't realize how easy this was to do. And absolutely delicious. I made it according to the recipe for the first time. But next time I can see sprinkling some herbs on top or putting some in it. I had made 2 loaves with the recipe. I found the texture to be perfect and not heavy at all. And this bread freezes so well too. Will definitely be using this recipe often. Thanks for sharing Donna M.

    FrenchBunny

see 89 more reviews

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Tweaks

  1. Wonderful! Instead of bread flour I used unbleached all-purpose flour and added 1 T gluten. Used the bread maker to make the dough, then shaped by hand, let rise, and baked. Nice crusty bread, very tender on the inside. Even with the whole wheat, light and delicious. Thanks for sharing the recipe!

    LonghornMama

  2. FANTASTIC!!I have tried several wheat Italian breads and have never been satisfied. I grind my own wheat and used hard white wheat berries for this recipe and was vary happy with consistency and taste. I would have liked my crust to be crunchier so next time I will use egg whites instead of water to coat the top. This recipe is a keeper!!

    Provl8dy in training

  3. I've made this bread several times now and each time, it comes out great. I've used unbleached all purpose flour in place of bread flour... and I've also sometimes eliminated the 2nd rise and it still comes out great. You don't really taste the ginger. I think it's more for yeast-enhancing purposes. I've also added an extra Tbsp of brown sugar for a little added sweetness and that makes it perfect.

    olivejuice

  4. I also used 3 cups of wheat flour and I used garlic powder instead of ginger, dough cycle then oven. I would say this was the most perfect loaf of wheat bread I have made so far. Great flavor, very moist and fluffy on the inside with a nice crispy crust. Will make often, thanks so much!

    kaec7628

  5. All right! What a great bread! This was very easy to work with. Since I am not a ginger fan I left the ginger out. I subbed honey for the sugar and used rapid rise yeast and cut the rising times by maybe 15 minutes each rising. I split the dough into three long ropes, braided them together into one long loaf and let rise. Then I brushed the top with an egg wash, sprinkled with sesame seeds and baked as directed. The loaf came out as beautiful as any from a bakery and went just as quickly. I will make this bread again and again. Thank you for sharing this recipe!

    PetesNina

RECIPE SUBMITTED BY

Donna M.

Billings, Montana

  • 80 Followers
  • 113 Recipes
  • 8 Tweaks

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Crusty Whole Wheat Italian Bread Recipe  - Food.com (2024)

FAQs

Why is it more difficult to make bread with whole wheat flour? ›

Refined flour usually is finer and whole-wheat flour is coarser. Bigger particles make it not only difficult to hydrate but also to form a good gluten network.

What makes Italian bread so good? ›

Artisanal Craftsmanship: Italian bread is often produced by skilled artisans who follow traditional methods passed down through generations. These bakers have a deep understanding of the dough, fermentation, and baking techniques, resulting in consistently excellent bread.

How do you make whole wheat flour taste better? ›

If you convert a recipe to all whole-grain flour and find the result too dense or wheaty, try adding a tablespoon of orange juice in place of the same quantity of liquid to mellow the wheaty flavor. You can also add back a small portion of all-purpose flour.

What happens if I use all-purpose flour instead of whole wheat flour? ›

You can, always considering a few differences between the two. In most cases, whole wheat flour absorbs more liquid than the same amount of white flour, so you will need to pay attention to how the texture of your dough or batter changes.

How do you keep whole wheat bread from being dense? ›

Gluten is important for giving the dough – and final loaves – structure. Without it, loaves tend to end up flat and dense. One trick is to add some white all-purpose flour along with the whole wheat flour. Even just a little white flour has enough gluten to give the dough better structure.

Why does my homemade whole wheat bread fall apart? ›

Your Bread Doesn't Have Enough Gluten

Once these proteins become moist, they create stretchy molecules that give bread dough its elasticity. Gluten helps bread maintain its shape and produces the "crumb" (or texture). If your bread does not have enough gluten, the crumb will not come out as expected.

Why is my homemade Italian bread so dense? ›

A “tight crumb” aka small holes in the interior of your bread can be the result of different factors: under-fermenting, over-fermenting, and a lack of gluten development.

What is the best Italian flour for bread? ›

Farina 1 or 2

Even coarser than the previous types, these soft wheat flours are best used for bread and pizza.

Do you need more liquid when baking with whole wheat flour? ›

The stiffer/drier the dough, the harder it is for it to rise. The solution: When substituting whole wheat for 100% of the white flour in your own favorite yeast recipe, do this: For every cup of whole wheat flour substituted, increase the liquid in the recipe by 2 teaspoons.

What do you need to add more of when baking with whole wheat flour? ›

Whole wheat flour tends to absorb more water than its white flour (all-purpose/bread flour) counterpart and will often need more water added, a little bit at a time as you mix in the levain or starter and salt after the autolyse period.

Which brand of whole wheat flour is best? ›

List of 10 Best Wheat Flours Available Online
NameAmazon RatingAmazon Price
Fortune Chakki Fresh Atta4.3/5Explore now
Aashirvaad Superior MP Atta4.4/5Explore now
Pansari 100% Natural MP Sharbati Wheat Atta3.8/5Explore now
Pro Nature 100% Organic Whole Wheat Flour4.0/5Explore now
6 more rows
Feb 26, 2024

Can I mix bread flour and whole wheat flour? ›

Yes, you can make pizza dough with half whole wheat flour and half white bread flour. Use a small amount of yeast and give your dough enough time double in size, before forming your dough into tight balls.

What is the ratio of flour to whole wheat flour? ›

Substitute an equal part of whole wheat flour for white flour as long as it's the same type of flour. In other words, 1 cup of whole wheat bread flour can replace 1 cup of white bread flour, and 1/2 cup of whole wheat all-purpose flour is an acceptable substitute for 1/2 cup of white all-purpose flour.

Is it harder to bake with whole wheat flour? ›

Whole wheat flour tends to absorb more water than its white flour (all-purpose/bread flour) counterpart and will often need more water added, a little bit at a time as you mix in the levain or starter and salt after the autolyse period.

Is whole wheat flour good for making bread? ›

Flour: You can use all whole wheat flour, or swap 1 cup of whole wheat flour for 1 cup of bread flour. The bread is soft either way, but a little bread flour yields a slightly taller, fluffier, and lighter loaf. We enjoy it both ways.

What bread is the hardest to make? ›

What is the most difficult bread to bake? In my experience, it would be sourdough bread. Sourdough uses a starter made from wild yeast instead of active dry or fresh yeast. It takes much more time and is more involved.

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