whole wheat bread

Whole Wheat Bread Glossary | Recipes with Whole Wheat Bread | Tarladalal.com Viewed 22182 times

Whole wheat bread is one of the most popular varieties of bread, enjoyed by people the world over. Each country has its own recipe and specialties when it comes to making whole wheat bread. Whole wheat bread is made with significant amounts of whole grain flour like wheat or rye, and may use ingredients like molasses, coffee and caramel for colouring. It retains the bran and germ of the wheat flour, and hence all the essential nutrients and fibre remain intact — making it the preferred choice of the health conscious. It is available in many forms, such as bread rolls, bread buns and loaves.

Whole wheat bread usually contains five main ingredients: wheat or rye flour, salt, sugar, water and yeast. To make bread, ensure that you scale and weigh the ingredients properly. Once that is done, you can start preparing the dough. The dough should be fermented for the proper length of time to yield properly aerated dough. During fermentation, the yeast cells act on the sugars and produce carbon dioxide and alcohol. Once fermented, the dough will rise in volume because of gas retention. This risen dough is punched to release the gases and covered under a wet muslin cloth. The dough will rise once again and needs to be punched again to remove the gases. It is then rolled into desired shapes and baked.

Bread dough can be shaped into various sizes and designs. Bakers might also use various additives, collectively known as Bread Improvers to produce loaves with better keeping properties, finer texture, softer crumbs, added bloom or enhanced flavour. Bread additives include mineral additives, enriching agents or yeast foods like malt sugar, Demerara sugar, etc.



Toasted whole wheat bread slices
Toasted whole wheat bread refers to sliced bread cooked on an open flame or a conventional toaster to get a warm and crisp slice of bread. To toast whole wheat bread slices, place the bread slices on a hot tava or pan and roast till they turn crisp and golden brown from both the sides. You can also toast them using little amount of butter or oil. Toasting bread not just makes it crisp and tasty, but also allows toppings to stay securely on the toasted slice without getting moist. It is also a common method to cook stale bread. Toasted whole wheat breads can be used in variety of dishes like sandwiches and toasts. They can also cut into croutons and added to soups and broths.

How to select
• Always buy fresh whole wheat bread; you can check the freshness using the crust texture and aroma of the bread.

Culinary Uses
• A whole wheat bread loaf can be thinly or thickly sliced as per recipe requirement. Maintain or discard the crust during slicing.
• Sliced whole wheat bread loaves are most commonly used to make sandwiches with various fillings like vegetables, shredded chicken, salami, cheese, jam, etc. They can also be made in various styles: toasted or grilled, open toasts, hot dog rolls, submarines, etc.
• Whole wheat bread is a good accompaniment for soups. These breads are usually in the form of bread rolls, Grissini sticks etc.
• Whole wheat bread, when baked into buns, acts as a base for burgers. Burger buns are usually sprinkled with poppy seeds or sesame seeds.
• Butter a few slices of whole wheat bread and rub some garlic on each slice. Cut into cubes and bake in the oven till crisp. Use as croutons for soups. These can also be flavoured with herbs, cheese etc.

How to store
• It is better to consume whole wheat bread fresh. However, if you wish to store it for longer, cover in plastic film, place in a bread box and store under refrigerated conditions. Try and use as soon as possible.

Health Benefits
• Those who are aiming for weight loss or are otherwise health conscious should prefer whole wheat bread, since it has much less calories than the white one and also keeps you feeling full for a longer time (owing to the fibre content).
• Whole wheat breads are high in fibre and other nutrients as compared to white bread since the flour is not processed much.
• The fibre present in whole wheat bread can help reduce the risk of some chronic diseases like constipation etc. It also helps keep the blood sugar at lower levels, thus helping one to manage diabetes better.
• Since fibre help lowers LDL cholesterol (the bad cholesterol) and the total cholesterol, whole wheat whole wheat bread has been associated with reducing the risk of heart disease.
• They can add healthy vitamins, minerals and fats to the body.
• Eating as a slice of whole wheat bread before bedtime is known to reduce anxiety and promote sleep.