Freshly Milled Honey Wheat Bread

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Soft and fluffy freshly milled honey wheat bread is the perfect bread to have on hand for morning toast, an afternoon sandwich, or a slice with dinner. Made with freshly milled flour, honey, and oil, this yeast bread has a light texture and delicious flavor.

This recipe will make it difficult to switch back to store bought bread. Not only is it delicious, but it’s super simple – just mix, knead, rise, shape, rise again, and bake. This dough is also very flexible in that you can make a loaf bread, dinner rolls, or easily add in mixtures for a cinnamon bread or cheddar jalapeño loaf.

Tips:

• Use half hard white wheat berries and half hard red wheat berries to get a complex flavor. Experiment for yourself and see what works for you!
• When making the dough, use your hands to knead to get a feel for the dough and also feed your mind. I use this time as a moment for myself!

Tools you may need:

• Grain mill
• Stand mixer
• Measuring cups and spoons
• Kitchen scale
• Loaf pans
• Bread box

Ingredients:

• Freshly milled flour – I prefer using half hard white wheat berries and half hard red wheat berries, but you can use any grain you prefer.
• Honey – I like to use honey as a natural sweetener, but you can also use maple syrup.
• Salt – This gives the bread so much flavor.
• Water – warm water helps to activate the yeast.
• Yeast – This helps the bread to rise.
• Olive oil – This gives a great taste and softens the bread.

How Freshly Milled Honey Wheat Bread is Nutrient Dense:

• Freshly milled flour contains fiber, protein, trace amounts of vitamins, omega-3 fatty acids, minerals, and antioxidants, since the natural nutrients are preserved by milling at home or sourcing locally stone milled flour. Freshly milled flour contains more nutrients and is less processed than all purpose flour.
• Honey contains antioxidants, vitamins and minerals, including riboflavin and copper, along with trace amounts of other nutrients like amino acids and minerals. Honey contains more nutrients and is less processed than white sugar.
• Olive oil contains a high content of healthy fats, antioxidants, and Vitamin E. Olive oil contains more nutrients and is less processed than vegetable oils.
• Yeast is more of a shortcut than using sourdough, but I’ve found the taste to be less sour and more sweet with yeast. Sourdough would be a more nutrient dense choice, but it’s a tradeoff I’m willing to make for flavor and ease of baking!

How to Make Freshly Milled Honey Wheat Bread:

Step 1: Mill your wheat berries into a large bowl. Add the remainder of the ingredients. I like to put the yeast on top of the water to allow it to activate before mixing.

Step 2: Cover and let dough sit for 10 minutes to hydrate the flour.

Step 3: Knead until stretchy and smooth, about 10 minutes by hand or less with a stand mixer. Look for the dough to spring back when you press into it.

Step 4: Cover and allow to rise for 2 hours, or until doubled in size.

Step 5: Shape the loaves or rolls. Grease loaf pan, sheet pan, or baking dish and put in pan or dish.

How to split dough:

• 2 loaves of bread: Split dough in half, shape loaves and add in any “extras” like cinnamon swirl or jalapeño cheddar, and put into two greased loaf pans.
• 1 loaf of bread and 12 dinner rolls: Split dough in half for the bread then in 12 pieces for the rolls and put into a greased loaf pan and onto a baking dish or sheet pan.
• 1 loaf of bread and 6 hamburger buns: Split dough in half for the bread then in 6 pieces for the buns and put into a greased loaf pan and onto a baking dish or sheet pan.
• 24 dinner rolls: Split dough in 24 pieces and put onto a greased baking dish or sheet pan.
• 12 hamburger buns: Split dough in 24 pieces and put onto a greased baking dish or sheet pan.

How to shape dough:

• Loaf: Turn out dough and press into rectangle, fold the bottom up to the middle, then fold in the left and right sides to form an open envelope in front of you. Fold the top up and down into a long tube.
• Dinner roll: Hold the dough in one hand and with your other hand pull and stretch the dough over itself so the top is smooth, pinching it at the bottom. Place the dough on an unfloured surface and move the dough around in circles to shape it into a smooth ball.
• Hamburger bun: Hold the dough in one hand and with your other hand pull and stretch the dough over itself so the top is smooth, pinching it at the bottom. Place the dough on an unfloured surface and move the dough around in circles to shape it into a smooth ball.

Step 6: Cover and allow to rise a second time for 1 hour, or until doubled.

Step 7: Bake!

• Loaf: Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes, or until golden on top and around 190 degrees internal temperature. Allow to cool before slicing.
• Dinner rolls: Bake at 400 for 15-20 minutes, or until golden on top and around 190 degrees internal temperature. Allow to cool before slicing.
• Hamburger buns: Bake at 400 for 10-15 minutes, or until golden on top and around 190 degrees internal temperature. Allow to cool before slicing.

Bread, rolls, and burger buns combinations:

This dough will make the following combinations:

• 2 loaves of bread (split dough in half)
• 1 loaf of bread and 12 dinner rolls (split dough in half for the bread then in 12 pieces for the rolls)
• 1 loaf of bread and 6 hamburger buns (split dough in half for the bread and in 6 pieces for the rolls)
• 24 dinner rolls (split dough in 24 pieces)
• 12 hamburger buns (split dough in 12 pieces)

How to Store Freshly Milled Honey Wheat Bread:

Fresh bread storage: Store in an air-tight container for up to five days for best results. I find that the bread is best if eaten within three days, and I will freeze any that we won’t eat that quickly. Here is a link to my favorite bread box!

Cooked bread freezing: You can freeze cooked loaves in freezer safe plastic bags for 3-6 months.

Dough freezing and thawing: You can also freeze the dough after it is shaped and before the second rise. This works great for having dinner rolls or hamburger buns “at the ready.” When you are ready to use them, thaw at room temperature for 4-6 hours and cook as usual OR put them straight into the oven fully frozen and add 2-3 minutes of cook time.

Find more of my Freshly Milled Flour Recipes:

• Freshly Milled Sourdough Chocolate Chip Cookies