Blackstrap Bread

 

This is my go-to whole wheat bread recipe, which I bake 2-3 times a week.  It makes great sandwiches, and the molasses adds a wonderful flavor.

I make it partly by hand and partly in the bread machine.  But you can use whatever method you like best.

BLACKSTRAP BREAD

1-1/8 cup water
1-1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup blackstrap molasses or maple syrup*(1)
1/4 cup olive oil
3-1/2 cups whole wheat flour*(2)
1 Tbsp active dry yeast

Stir together water, salt, and molasses until dissolved.  Add oil.  Pour into bread-machine pan or mixing bowl.

Add flour on top of liquid.  Make an indentation in flour and add yeast. Let sit in a warm place for 30 minutes.

Mix ingredients and knead (bread machine can do both).  Let dough rest for about 5 minutes or until it can pass the windowpane test.*(3)

Form dough into a ball, removing bread machine paddle if using.  With 1 Tbsp olive oil in bottom of a medium-sized mixing bowl, roll dough around until coated with oil.  Cover bowl with a layer of waxed paper and then a dish towel.

Let sit for 30-45 minutes in a warm place, until dough has risen above the top of the bowl.

Gently punch down the top of the dough to get rid of big bubbles.  Turn it out onto a floured board and form it into a loaf.*(4)

Place loaf in pan, seam-side-down, cover with waxed paper and dish towel, and let rise in a warm place for about 20-30 minutes, or until it's approximately 1" taller.

Bake at 350 deg. F for 40 minutes (bread machine can do this too).

Remove from pan and cool for at least 30 minutes before slicing.

Recipe Notes

*1. Blackstrap molasses is my favorite sweetener, but an equal amount of maple syrup works just as well.  If you want to use granulated raw sugar, use 1/4 cup sugar and add 1/8 cup water to the recipe.

*2. This amount of flour is just about right if you fluff it with a wire whisk before measuring.  Try not to compact it into the measuring cup.

*3. For the windowpane test, get a ping-pong ball-sized piece of dough and pull it into a thin disc.  Hold it up to the light.  If you can see light through it, the dough has passed the test.  If not, let it rest more.

*4. To form bread dough into a loaf, roll or pat it into a 1-1/2"-thick oval.  Roll it up like a jellyroll, sealing the front of the roll onto the surface of the unrolled dough with every turn--about 4 times.  Roll the remaining flap of unrolled dough up onto the rest, pinching it onto the body of the roll. Turn the roll seam-side-down, pull the ends under, and pinch them together underneath.  Securely pinch all seams, folds, and gaps.