Easy Seeded Wholemeal Bread
Not only healthy but also ultra delicious this easy seeded wholemeal bread is perfect to make ahead and solve your breakfast for the week.
Ingredients
- 2 cups wholemeal flour
- 1 sachet instant yeast 7g
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 1/4 cup warm water
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon seeds we used white, black sesame seeds and fennel seeds
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the wholemeal flour, instant yeast, and salt. Mix well.
- In a separate bowl, mix the honey and warm water until the honey is dissolved.
- Add the honey water mixture to the flour mixture and mix well until a dough forms.
- Knead the dough for 5-10 minutes until it becomes smooth and elastic.
- Add the olive oil to the bowl and coat the dough with it.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a cloth and leave it in a warm place to rise for 1 hour.
- Preheat your oven to 392ºF/200°C.
- After the dough has risen, shape it into a loaf.
- Place the loaf in a greased loaf tin and leave it to rise for a further 30 minutes.
- Brush some water on top of the bread, and sprinkle the seeds to your taste.
- Bake the loaf in the preheated oven for 30-35 minutes or until the crust is golden brown.
- Remove from the oven and leave the bread to cool on a wire rack.
- Serve warm with butter or slice the bread and freeze the slices to last longer and stay fresh. *See notes
Notes
Kneading the dough: Kneading the dough is an important step in making bread because it helps develop gluten, which gives the bread its structure and chewiness. When kneading the dough, you can do it by hand or with a stand mixer with a dough hook attachment. Knead the dough for at least 5-10 minutes until it becomes smooth and elastic.
Proofing the dough: Proofing the dough is the process of letting it rise before baking. This allows the yeast to ferment the dough, creating air pockets and making the bread light and fluffy. For this easy wholemeal loaf recipe, you should cover the bowl with a damp cloth and leave it in a warm place to rise for 1 hour. After shaping the dough into a loaf, let it rise for a further 30 minutes before baking.
Baking the bread: When baking the bread, make sure to preheat your oven to the correct temperature (200°C in this recipe). You should also place a pan of hot water on the bottom rack of the oven to create steam, which helps the bread rise and develop a crispy crust. Bake the bread for 30-35 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown and the bread sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom.
Storage: To freeze a wholemeal bread, cool it completely, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap or aluminum foil, place it in a freezer bag, label and date the bag, and freeze for up to 3 months. When ready to use, thaw at room temperature for a few hours or overnight, and then reheat if desired.