Whole-Wheat Bread

There are some terrific baking books that focus on 100 percent whole-grain bread, and this style of bread has a fanatically loyal, and growing, following. I began my bread journey thirty years ago as a devotee of organic whole-grain bread, mainly for philosophical and health reasons. Though I’ve branched out to explore the entire bread kingdom and its infinite permutations, I still have a soft spot for what we used to call “pure bread.” The challenge a baker faces in making such breads is extracting the best of the grain flavor while overcoming some of the grassy and bitter tones of the bran and germ. Another challenge is attaining a crumb network that opens up both flavor and texture. The best way to evoke flavor, as we show in many of the formulas, is to give the enzymes enough time to break out sugars trapped in the starches. One way to do this when working with whole grains is to use a large amount of pre-ferment, such as a poolish or soaker. In this version, we will use both methods. A soaker is especially effective when coarse grains are part of the formula, and it also leaves open the option of substituting other grains, such as corn or oats, in place of the wheat to vary the texture of the finished loaf. Using a poolish to extend fermentation time contributes more flavor by developing acidity, balancing out the grassy flavor of the bran and germ in the process.