100% Whole Wheat Bread with Molasses

100% Whole Wheat Bread with Molasses has a nutty whole wheat flavour and sweet overtones of molasses.

I'm not a 100% Whole Wheat Bread type of girl and especially whole wheat bread made with molasses.  Mom always put molasses in her whole wheat bread and I hated it as a child.  There was nothing I hated more than that awful bread toasted and served with a fried or boiled egg or possibly even worse was an egg salad sandwich made with it.  And then there was the supper of baked beans, which I disliked, and the molasses bread.  Worst supper ever, ha, ha.  With the eggs and toast I could at least eat the egg and play around with the bread but with the beans and bread I had nothing I liked on my plate.  Such a sorry plight.  No one gave me sympathy.  Mom and Heather loved the bread and everyone but me loved the baked beans. Dad would tell me to listen to mom so I had no recourse but choke down the food.

Well, that was then.  How things change as one grows older.  When I spied this recipe on the side of the flour bag I knew I'd make it because of the molasses and because this Robin Hood Best for Bread Whole Wheat Flour is great.  No more heavy whole wheat bread if you use a good bread flour. (This is not a paid endorsement.  It's just good flour for bread.)

The taste of the bread brings me right back to my childhood and that kitchen on Cook Street where I was not allowed to refuse my supper because I didn't like it.  They aren't unpleasant memories. They make me smile when I think back to those days.  So here's a good recipe for 100% Whole Wheat Bread made with molasses in memory of my mother who always knew if I ate enough of the stuff I'd eventually like it.

I've changed the recipe slightly by using instant yeast and changing the baking temperature and baking time.

Printable recipe at end of post.

100% Whole Wheat Bread with Molasses

• 2 cups warm water
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon/envelope instant yeast
• ⅓ cup molasses
• 2 tablespoons soft butter or oil
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 5¾ cup whole wheat bread flour (I use Robin Hood Best for Bread Whole Wheat Flour)

How to make it:

See pictures below.

1. Place the warm water in a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer.  Add the sugar and yeast.  The instant yeast should start to bubble right away.  
2. Add the molasses, butter or oil, 3 cups flour and the salt.
3. Using a spoon or the paddle of your stand mixer mix on low until the dough is smooth and elastic.
4. Add the remaining flour gradually until a soft but not sticky dough is formed.
5. Knead by hand 10 minutes or 5 minutes in stand mixer.  The dough should pull away from the bowl and should not stick to your hands.
6. Form the dough into a ball and place bottom side up in an oiled bowl turning to coat in the oil. Cover the dough with plastic wrap or a clean towel and let rise until double in a warm place.  This may take as long as 1½, especially if the room is not very warm.
7. When dough has doubled in size, punch down and turn out on lightly floured surface.
8. Divide the dough into two equal portions and form into loaves.
9. Place the loaves into two well greased 8½ x 4½-inch bread pans.
10. Cover the loaves with plastic wrap or a clean tea towel and let double in size, about 1 hour or more if your room is not warm. The dough should come 1½ inches above the rim of the pans when doubled in size.
11. Preheat oven to 375 degrees about 15 minutes before you think the dough will be ready to bake. When doubled, bake for 30-35 minutes.  Once baked, remove from pans and let cool on baking rack. (The loaves should sound hollow when tapped.) Brush with butter while still hot to give a nice soft crust. 

Makes 2 loaves.

Add the water, sugar and yeast to the bowl. Then add 3 cups flour, molasses, butter and salt and beat on low to form an elastic dough.  Add remaining flour to form a soft but not sticky dough.  Place in oiled bowl to rise double in size. Follow instructions #1-6 above for a good batch of bread dough.

 When the dough has doubled punch down and place on lightly floured surface.  

See #7 above.

Divide the dough into two equal portions and form into loaves. See #8 above. You can see the flour I used in the background.  I just love the way this flour mixes up a great loaf of bread. 

Place the loaves into two well greased bread pans. See #9 above. I used a narrow and longer pan for one of the loaves because I wanted smaller slices to serve in place of dinner rolls.

I also formed another batch of bread into the more traditional Newfoundland 3-bun loaf.

 Cover the loaves with plastic wrap or a clean tea towel and let double in size.
See #10 above.

Bake in a 375 degree preheated oven 30 minutes.  Remove from pans and let cool on baking rack. Butter tops while still hot. See #11 above.

These loaves were baked at 400 degrees and were very deep brown and almost burned.  I lowered the temperature to 375 degrees for the next batch and the results were better.

Here are the traditional Newfoundland 3-bun loaves which were baked at 375 degrees for 35 minutes. The original recipe calls for a 400 degree oven but I found the loaves almost burned at that temperature--know your oven!

Sweet with molasses and nutty with whole wheat.  The bread slices beautifully for sandwiches or toast or how about slathered in butter to go along with a big bowl of baked beans.

Wholesome and Homemade!

To print click on arrow upper right side.⇩