How To Make The Best Whole Wheat Bread At Home

(Hvetebrod)

Norwegians love to bake. There, I said it. Even though it’s really no secret. Much of my time growing up was spent watching or hearing about my grandma baking something new. Her favorite was her lemon bars which really are delicious. But oddly, something that I never saw her make was this whole wheat bread recipe. or any bread recipes for that matter. Had she done so, i believe that it would’ve been something truly special. I always remember her whenever I bake.

My personal favorite thing to bake as of late has been a Norwegian whole wheat bread. It has a wonderful texture with a nice touch of sweetness to it. This is fantastic with a touch of butter and salt, seared in a pan to make crostinis, or just torn off and eaten with some cheese.

When looking for the perfect Norwegian bread recipe, I scoured the internet and my extensive cookbook collection. I found the recipe in “The Great Scandinavian Baking Book” by Beatrice Ojakangas. She won an award from the James Beard Foundation Kitchenaid Cookbook Hall of Fame. Originally published in 1988, through Little, Brown, and Company and then republished in 1999 through the University of Minnesota Press. I found this recipe and changed a few things to make it taste just like grandma was in the kitchen with me.

Recipe

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5 from 1 vote

Whole Wheat Bread (Hvetebrod)

This is a Norwegian whole wheat bread. It has a wonderful texture with a nice touch of sweetness to it. This is fantastic with a touch of butter and salt, seared in a pan to make crostinis, or just torn off and eaten with some cheese.

Course Appetizer, Side Dish

Cuisine Nordic

Keyword Bread, Wheat

Prep Time 4 hours hours

Cook Time 1 day day 40 minutes minutes

Total Time 4 hours hours 40 minutes minutes

Servings 2 loafs, 12 slices each

Calories 128kcal

Author Matthew Earl

Equipment

• 2 9×5 inch loaf pan
• 1 mixing bowl
• 1 Pastry Brush
• 1 stand mixer
• 1 wooden spoon

Ingredients

• 2 packages active dry yeast
• 2 cups water, warmed 105F to 115F
• 1/4 cup light molasses (also golden syrup)
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter , melted. Plus some to brush on loaves after cooking
• 2 cup whole wheat flour
• 3 to 4 cups bread flour or unbleached all-purpose flour

Instructions

For the Dough

• In a large bowl, dissolve the yeast in the water. Let stand five minutes.
• Add the molasses, sugar, shortening/butter, and salt.
• Stir in the whole wheat flour.
• Add the bread flour one cup at at a time until the dough is stiff. Let rest for 15 minutes.

Kneading

• Sprinkle your planned workspace with a nice dusting of flour.
• Turn dough out onto the workspace.
• Knead the dough for about 15 minutes or until dough is smooth and springy. 
• Wash bowl, grease it lightly, and add dough to the bowl.
• Turn over to grease the top of the dough lightly.
• Cover with a dish towel and let rise until it has doubled in size.
• Punch the dough down. Cover and let rise again until it has once more doubled in size.

Baking

• Punch the dough down again and divide into two equal parts.
• Shape each into a round or oblong loaf. Lightly grease two round cake pans or two 9×5-inch loaf pans. Place loaves in the pans. Let rise until almost doubled
• Preheat oven to 375°F
• Place loaves into the oven and bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until loaves sound hollow when tapped.
• Brush tops of loaves with melted butter.
• P.S. let the loaves rest for about 10 minutes before eating. This allows the bread to settle and solidify.

Nutrition

Calories: 128kcal | Carbohydrates: 24g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 2g | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 5g