There’s nothing quite like the smell of homemade bread wafting through the kitchen, and this Simple Sprouted Wheat Bread makes it doable even for wary bread-makers.
It’s simple to put together (no kneading required) and studded with dried fruit and seeds, making it suitable for starting your day, snacking, and slathering with butter or jam.
Sprouted grains are quickly becoming an obsession of mine. Not only are they incredibly healthy and easier for most people to digest, but sprouted grain flour is a dream to work with in baking! Want to add more sprouted grains to your diet? Try these Sprouted Grain Green Onion Biscuits with a nice salad, or boost your breakfast with Healthier Sprouted Grain Pecan Muffins or Sprouted Oat Pancakes.
What Makes This Recipe Work?
If you think sprouted grains are difficult to work with, I promise they aren't. With a little understanding, you can be a pro in no time! This is a great recipe to start with if you haven’t worked with them before since it’s a 50/50 blend of sprouted and all-purpose flours.
This recipe uses the straight dough method which means you mix everything together at once. There’s also no kneading on the countertop thanks to the stronger gluten bonds created when using sprouted whole grains. While you do have to give it some rising time, this bread is really as easy as a quick bread to make. Sprouted grain bread also has a soft, tender crumb that works really well with the other textural elements of this recipe.
The texture of this bread is probably my favorite thing about it. You’ll get chewy little sweet bites thanks to the dried fruit, and a seed-rich mixture both inside the bread and on the crust to provide a lovely crunch. Of course, these things add even more nutritious elements to the sprouted whole grains, which makes me feel better about having more than one slice!
Ingredients
- Water- Use warm water to activate the yeast.
- Yeast- Make sure your yeast is fresh and within its use-by date to ensure a good rise.
- Honey- You can substitute with maple syrup if needed.
- Egg- You’ll need one large egg to enrich the dough plus another egg for brushing onto the dough before baking
- Butter/Oil - I prefer to use butter for this recipe, but you can also use an equal amount of any neutral flavored oil.
- Salt - I prefer kosher salt for my baking.
- Sprouted wheat flour- I used partial sprouted white winter wheat flour.
- Bread flour- You can replace this with all-purpose if needed. In some areas, it may be hard to get your hands on.
- Dried fruit- I used dried cranberries for this recipe.
- Mixed seeds- My favorites for this whole grain bread are poppy, sunflower, and flax seeds. You’ll need some for inside the loaf itself, plus more for sprinkling on top
- Oats- These are optional, but I add some rolled oats to the seed mixture for the top of the bread.
- Milk- Use this to thin your eggwash. You can substitute it with non-dairy milk or even water if needed.
How to Make
- Start by activating your yeast. Once the bubbles start to form, add the egg, butter, salt, and flour.
- Mix the dough until it’s good and smooth.
- Add your dried fruits and seeds and mix on medium until they’re incorporated.
- Cover and allow the dough to double in a warm place.
- Shape your dough into a boule or whatever shape you prefer.
- Place on a sheet pan, cover, and put back in the warm place to double again. Preheat the oven when it gets to the end of the rise.
- Brush the top of the risen loaf with egg wash. This isn't essential, but it sure makes for a beautiful color!
- Sprinkle with a mixture of nuts and seeds.
- Vent the loaf.
- Place into the preheated oven on the middle shelf and bake until it reaches an internal temperature of 190 degrees.
- When you pull it from the oven, give it about 10 minutes before you cut into it. Then slice and enjoy with a generous pat of butter!!
Tips for Making Simple Sprouted Wheat Bread
- I formed mine into a boule shape, but you can shape it any way you want. If you want to shape it as I did, it's simple. Take the dough and tuck all the edges under, making sure to give it a round top. Then, move the loaf in a circular motion continuing to pull the dough around to form a beautiful boule.
- I also slit the top with my favorite lame. If you don't have a lame, you can always use a sharp knife. Why score the bread? The bread will vent steam somewhere. If you create the vent, it will vent there. If not, it will blow out wherever it wants!
- I love grinding my own grains, and my Nutrimill makes this process simple. It does take a bit of time, but the baking results are worth it. The flavor is better, plus I can experiment with grains that might be hard to find already ground. Depending on the grains you’re using, it can even be cheaper than buying flour.
- You’ll want to adjust the oven temperature during the baking process for perfect results. I like to bake the first 7-10 minutes at about 400 degrees. This will give the bread a beautiful "oven spring". Then I reduce the heat to 350 degrees and finish baking for about 40-50 minutes until it is a deep golden brown.
- I used about a cup of dried cranberries in my bread. If you don’t like cranberries, though, you can use other dried fruits - raisins, dates, apricots, or anything that sounds good to you. You can also experiment with different seeds or add chopped nuts to the inside and/or on top of the bread.
Sprouted grains, which are harvested while they’re in the germinating phase of the sprouting process, have more nutrients than their mature counterparts. You will lose some of these health benefits in baking, but it’s so worth it! Sprouted grains are also less starchy, which makes them easier for many people to digest, including those with gluten sensitivities. Whole sprouted grain products are available for purchase if you like to grind your own flour like I do, or you can buy sprouted flour at local health food or specialty stores. King Arthur Flour and Lindley Mills are good sources.
Pretty much anything that can be used as a seed can be sprouted, things like sprouted barley or sprouted buckwheat. There’s also rice, millet, oats, alfalfa, and lots of other options. Sprouted grains are prepared the same way regular grains are - harvested, dried, and ground. If you’re looking for more info on sprouting grains, check out this post on How to Sprout Whole Grains at home. Next thing you know, you’ll be making your own flour!
Although it will keep longer in the fridge, you run the risk of this beautiful bread drying out. I’d recommend wrapping and storing it on the counter if you’re planning to finish it off in less than a week. You can freeze it if you’re slower to eat it, but I’m pretty sure that won’t be an issue with this sprouted bread recipe!
Humans have been baking yeast bread since ancient Egypt. Three thousand years later there’s still something magical about making homemade bread, watching yeast bubble to life and transform a bowl of flour into something spectacular. My Simple Sprouted Wheat Bread recipe combines our ancient love of a beautiful loaf with our modern mindfulness toward healthier eating, Effort? Minimal. Results? Delicious!
Simple Sprouted Wheat Bread
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cup warm water This should just feel warm to the touch, between 90-100 degrees.
- 2 ¼ teaspoons active dry yeast This is one envelope of yeast
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 egg
- ¼ cup butter or oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 ¾ cup sprouted wheat flour Make sure to use the spoon and level method. Meaning spoon it into the measuring cup, then leveling with a knife. Flour can compact, and to remedy this it is better to spoon it in.
- 1 ¾-2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour same process for measuring as above.
- ¾-1 cup dried fruit I used craisins, but raisins, dates, apricots, or anything else you want are good as well.
- 1 teaspoon poppyseeds optional
- 1 tablespoon sunflower seeds optional
- 1 tablespoon flax seeds optional
- 1 egg for egg wash
- 2 tablespoons milk
- a mix of poppy seeds, flax seeds, and sunflower seeds for topping optional
Instructions
- Activate the yeast in the warm milk and honey. To do this, add the 3 ingredients to your mixer or bowl. Mix them and let it sit for about 3 minutes. It doesn't take long to get it going.
- Add in the egg, oil, salt, sprouted flour, and 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour. Mix for about 1 minute and test for hydration. You want the dough to feel a little tacky, but not too sticky. I wound up using 2 cups. You may need a little more or less, but don't try and determine this until you have mixed at least 1 minute. Once you have a good amount of flour, turn your mixer on medium speed and mix for 5-7 minutes until the dough is smooth. Keep in mind it will not be as smooth as white dough, as the sprouted wheat flour will have bran in it.
- Cover and allow to double in a warm place. Mine took about 40 minutes.
- Once it is doubled, shape. I did a boule shape. I prefer to do a free-form shape for this bread, but if you want to bake it in a bread pan, do it! For the boule shape, turn the dough out onto your surface. Tuck the dough all the way around to form a round shape. Then, move the ball around between your hands until it forms a smooth ball. Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Cover and allow the loaf to rise until doubled in a warm place. I like to wrap lightly in saran wrap. You can also use a dish towel if you prefer.
- When it has almost risen, preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
- Combine your egg and milk for the egg wash. Make sure and mix well. Brush the top of your loaf with egg wash, then sprinkle with the seeds. I scored my loaf with a lame, but you can also use a sharp knife.
- Carefully place the loaf of bread on the middle shelf in your preheated oven. Bake for 7 minutes, then reduce the heat to 350 degrees,
- Continue to bake for about 45-55 minutes. You can check it in a few simple ways. First, it should be a deep golden brown color. Second, you can tap the bottom of the loaf with your hand, listening for a hollow sound. Just make sure and cover your hand with a hot pad, it is HOT. Another way to check if you aren't comfortably thumping your bread is to take its temp. The bread should be right about 190 degrees.
- Remove from oven and allow to cool at least 10 minutes, if you can stand it. The bread will smell so good, that you might not be able to resist. I get it.
Notes
- I formed mine into a boule shape, but you can shape it any way you want. If you want to shape it as I did, it's simple. Take the dough and tuck all the edges under, making sure to give it a round top. Then, move the loaf in a circular motion continuing to pull the dough around to form a beautiful boule.
- I also slit the top with my favorite lame. If you don't have a lame, you can always use a sharp knife. Why score the bread? The bread will vent steam somewhere. If you create the vent, it will vent there. If not, it will blow out wherever it wants!
- I love grinding my own grains, and my Nutrimill makes this process simple. It does take a bit of time, but the baking results are worth it. The flavor is better, plus I can experiment with grains that might be hard to find already ground. Depending on the grains you’re using, it can even be cheaper than buying flour.
- You’ll want to adjust the oven temperature during the baking process for perfect results. I like to bake the first 7-10 minutes at about 400 degrees. This will give the bread a beautiful "oven spring". Then I reduce the heat to 350 degrees and finish baking for about 40-50 minutes until it is a deep golden brown.
- I used about a cup of dried cranberries in my bread. If you don’t like cranberries, though, you can use other dried fruits - raisins, dates, apricots, or anything that sounds good to you. You can also experiment with different seeds or add chopped nuts to the inside and/or on top of the bread.