Cracked Wheat Bread
Submitted by nanabun
Hearty homemade cracked wheat bread with whole wheat flour, molasses, and honey. Nutty, chewy, and deeply satisfying with a tender crumb and rustic crust.
YIELD
1 servingsPREP
30 minCOOK
30 minREADY
60 minThere’s nothing quite like the smell of homemade bread rising in the oven, and this cracked wheat loaf fills your whole kitchen with that warm, yeasty, honey-and-molasses perfume.
Cracked wheat simmers in boiling water until soft and chewy, then gets mixed with whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour, molasses, honey, and shortening. After a good 10-minute knead and a couple of rises, you’ve got two gorgeous loaves with a dense, nutty crumb and a crust that cracks when you tear into it.
This is real bread. The kind worth slathering with butter while it’s still warm.
Kitchen Tips
- Make sure the cracked wheat absorbs all the water before mixing. Excess moisture will make your dough sticky and hard to work with.
- Knead for a full 10 minutes. The dough should be smooth, elastic, and spring back when you poke it. Shortcuts here mean dense bread.
- Let the dough rise in a warm spot. Inside the oven with just the light on is a reliable trick on cold days.
- The loaves are done when they sound hollow on the bottom when tapped. Cool them on a wire rack to keep the crust from going soft.
Ingredients
Directions
Cook cracked wheat in the boiling water for 10 minutes, until all the water is absorbed.
Dissolve yeast in ⅓ cup of warm water and let proof.
Stir together shortening, salt, molasses, honey and the rest of the water and add to cracked wheat.
Stir in the flours a little at a time. When the dough is stiff, turn out onto a floured board and knead for 10 minutes, use extra flour if necessary.
Shape into a ball, place in oiled bowl, cover and let rise until doubled.
Punch down and shape into 2 loaves. Let rise until doubled.
Bake at 375℉ (190℃) for 30 to 35 minutes. Cool on racks.
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