Measure 660 grams of wheat berries. For this recipe, I like to use a mix of khorasan (187 g) and hard white wheat (473 g). Khorasan adds a wonderful rich flavor to the recipe. However, khorasan alone does not have enough protein in it to make a great bread loaf, so you’ll want to be sure to use no more than a ratio of 1:3 with a wheat berry that has a higher protein content such as hard white or hard red.
Mill the wheat berries through your grain mill.
Add 11.5 grams (2 tsp) of salt and 26 g dry milk powder (1/4 c) to the flour and gently mix with a spoon. Then set aside.
Measure 418 grams of water and warm until it’s approximately 95° F to 105°F.
Add water, 39 grams of olive oil, 85 grams of honey, and 1 room temperature egg to a stand mixer.
Mix the liquid ingredient. Start out at a low speed and then slowly increase the speed to medium until all the wet ingredients are well mixed.
Gradually add the freshly milled flour mixture. Mix on a low to medium speed just until all the flour is no longer dry. It should only take one to two minutes. Don’t over mix at this point. At this stage, you’re just trying to get the flour wet.
Cover and let rest for 1 hour. This rest period is called autolysing.
Add 2 1/2 tsp instant yeast.
Knead in stand mixer until you have reached a windowpane.
Lightly oil your proofing container.
Transfer your dough to the proofing bowl or container.
Cover and let rest in a warm place until it increases by about 80%. Approximately 30 minutes to 1 hr.
Prepare two 4.5 x 8.5 loaf pans by greasing them with butter or lard.
Lightly oil your hands and work surface. Turn the dough out onto a lightly oiled surface and cut in half.
Shape half of the dough into loaf and create surface tension.
Placed in a greased 4.5 x 8.5 loaf pans.
Repeat shaping process for second half of dough and place in greased loaf pan.
Cover and set in a warm place to rise to top of pan. Approximately 1-2 hours.
Toward the end of the rising time, preheat oven to 350 °.
Once fully risen remove cover from loaves.
If desired, whisk the whites from 1 egg with 1 teaspoon of water. Brush egg wash on top of bread.
Place in oven and bake at 350° for 35-40 minutes. Cover lightly with foil after 25 minutes to avoid the top over browning.The internal temperature should be 195°.
Remove from pan and allow it to completely cool before slicing. This should take about 1-2 hours. I find an electric knife works great for slicing this super soft sandwich bread.
