Easy wholemeal Real Bread

Simple, tasty and wholesome.

All in. Credit: Chris Young / www.realbreadcampaign.org CC-BY-SA-4.0

Delicious, moist and filling, with all the nutrition of whole wheat, and packed with fibre that your gut’n’heart will love!*

Ingredients

Make one largish loaf (the baked weight will be around 750g)

500g wholemeal bread flour
350g warmish water
3-4g additive-free fast acting yeast (about half a level teaspoon)
4-5g salt (about half a level teaspoon)

(It isn’t necessary, but adding 5ml oil or a few grams of butter, lard or dripping can help to slow the bread staling and drying out.)

Method

Mix all of the ingredients together until no dry bits remain. If the dough feels stiff (or if you’re familiar with making higher hydration doughs) add more water.

Cover the dough and leave for about 5-6 hours at room temperature (about 20-22°C) to rise, giving it a stretch and fold about every hour or two. It will take less or more time, depending on the ambient/room temperature.

Shape the dough as desired (eg for a tin or in a banneton / proving basket), cover and leave to rise for about two hours.

Heat the oven to 220°C / 200°C fan. If proved in a basket, dust the top of the dough well with flour and turn the dough onto a baking stone or tray. Bake for around 40-50 minutes, turning it round by 180° half way through to ensure even baking.

Remove the loaf from the oven and place on a wire rack, covered with a clean tea towel, to cool.

Baker's tip

If you prefer a recipe with more detailed instructions, take a look at this one.

*If you live with IBS, or another condition that you find is aggravated by fibre, you might find that genuine sourdough bread is an option that works for you. Find out more.

Recipe text © Chris Young. Reproduction prohibited without written permission of the copyright holder.

Social sharing

If you make this Real Bread, please share your photo(s) with the world on social media using #RealBread and other relevant hashtags, linking back to this recipe. Better still if we can see you in the photo, too: #WeAreRealBread!

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Published Monday 4 November 2024

Real Bread Campaign: The Real Bread Campaign finds and shares ways to make bread better for us, better for our communities and better for the planet. Whether your interest is local food, community-focussed small enterprises, honest labelling, therapeutic baking, or simply tasty toast, everyone is invited to become a Campaign supporter.