Cracked Wheat and Bran Bread

I love the flavor of this cracked wheat and bran bread. It has a great whole wheat flavor that is balanced by bread flour. The cracked wheat and wheat bran add all of the benefits of whole wheat. This is an excellent tasting and performing whole wheat bread recipe.

Originally, I made this bread to use an ingredient I found in my freezer. Little did I know how delicious this bread would be. 

One of my goals this year is to use ingredients I already have on hand. I still need to figure out how to keep track of the ingredients I have in my pantry and freezer so that I don't let them languish, or, even worse, buy even more. 

For this recipe, the pantry ingredient I randomly pulled out of my freezer to use was cracked wheat. I had purchased it at one point when King Arthur Flour offered free shipping, but I hadn't given a lot of though about how I was going to use it. It has languished in my freezer for who knows how long. It needs to be used (or least I need to use it so I don't feel like I belong on Hoarders!). 

I was also able to use some wheat bran I also had in my freezer. It's a great ingedient for adding to bread and for dusting a banetton to prevent sticking. 

Happily, this bread turned out beautifully!

Ingredients to Make this Bread:

Flours: Whole wheat flour and bread flour. 

Wheat Bran: To mix with the cracked wheat.

Cracked Wheat: Cracked wheat is is crushed raw wheat berries, as opposed to bulgar, which is cooked wheat berries. In a pinch, you can substitute bulgar, which can typically be found in the cookied cereal section. 

From the Pantry: Dark brown sugar, vegetable oil, salt, and instant yeast. 

Boiling Water: For mixing with the cracked wheat, bran, brown sugar, oil, and salt and soaking. 

Process to Make This Bread:

First, stir together the boiling water, cracked wheat, wheat bran, brown sugar, oil, and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer. Let the mixture soak for 15 minutes so that the temperature lowers to about 90 degrees F and the cracked wheat softens. 

Next, add the whole wheat flour and mix. Add the yeast and a cup of the bread flour and mix with the dough hook. Add more of the bread flour if the dough is too sticky. It will still be sticky, but still manageable. The dough will need about 15 minutes of kneading. 

After that, let the dough rise for about an hour, until doubled. Form the dough into a sandwich-style loaf, place it into an 8 1/2 by 4 1/2 inch loaf pan and let it double. 

Finally, bake the loaf in a 375 degree oven for about 35 to 40 minutes. Let it cool before slicing. 

I brushed the top of the loaf lightly with butter while the bread was still hot. This softens the crust and makes it prettier (less dry looking). 

Equipment You May Need:

Stand Mixer with a paddle attachment and a dough hook: While you can hand knead this dough, the mixer makes it much easier, especially because you will be kneading the dough for more than 15 minutes. 

8 1/2 inch by 4 1/2 inch Loaf Pan: This is the equivalent of a one pound loaf pan. They also make it with rounded corners. The first time a made this I used a slightly larger pan and ended up with a slightly squatter loaf. 

Tips:

If the bread begins to brown a little too much while baking, loosely tent the loaf with foil during the last few minutes to keep it from burning. 

Keep the cracked wheat, bran, and whole wheat flour in the freezer unless you plan on using it up within about 6 months. These ingredients contain fat, which can go rancid if kept at room temperature for too long. 

I originally purchased my cracked wheat berries from King Arthur but I can't find it on their site. Amazon carries cracked wheat, along with lots of variations of bulgar. 

For another bread recipe using cracked wheat, be sure to try Cracked Wheat Bread. The recipe is similar to this one, but lighter. It doesn't include bran nor whole wheat flour. 

You can also try a sourdough whole wheat version that also contains toasted walnuts and polenta. 

Cracked Wheat and Bran Bread

Yield: 16 slices

Author: Karen Kerr

Prep time: 30 MinCook time: 40 MinInactive time: 2 HourTotal time: 3 H & 10 M

I love the flavor of this cracked wheat and bran bread. It has a great whole wheat flavor that is balanced by bread flour. 

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cups (284 grams/10 ounces) boiling water
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons (19 grams/2/3 ounces) cracked wheat (bulgur may be substituted)
• 1/4 cup (16 grams/1/2 ounce) wheat bran
• 1/4 cup (53 grams/1 3/4 ounces) dark brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons instant yeast
• 1/2 cup (57 grams/2 ounces) whole wheat flour
• 2 1/8 to 2 1/3 cups (270 grams to 297 grams/9.5 to 10.5 ounces) bread flour

Instructions

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer, mix the boiling water, cracked wheat, bran, oil, and salt, and let sit for for 15 minutes, until the temperature lowers to about 90 degrees F.
2. Add the whole wheat flour to the mixture and mix until fully incorporated.
3. Add the yeast and 1 cup of the bread flour. Mix until blended.
4. Place the bowl into the mixer and attach the dough hook. Begin mixing and slowly add the rest of the flour until you've developed a slightly sticky dough. Knead for about 15 minutes.
5. Place the dough into an oiled dough rising bucket or a large bowl, turn the dough to oil all sides, and allow to rise for about an hour, until doubled.
6. Gently deflate the dough and shape it into a loaf and place into an 8 1/2 by 4 1/2 inch loaf pan.
7. Let the loaf rise for about one hour in a warm place. The top of the center of the loaf should peak over the rim of the pan by about 1/2 inch.
8. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F with a rack in the center of the oven and spray the loaf with water.
9. Bake the loaf for 35 to 40 minutes. Tent the loaf with aluminum foil if it begins to brown too much. Bake until the loaf interior reaches 190 degrees F.
10. Remove from the oven, de-pan, and cool completely on a wire rack.
11. Optional, while the loaf is still very warm, lightly brush the top with melted butter.

Nutrition Facts

Calories

114

Fat (grams)

2 g

Sat. Fat (grams)

0 g

Carbs (grams)

22 g

Fiber (grams)

2 g

Net carbs

20 g

Sugar (grams)

3 g

Protein (grams)

4 g

Cholesterol (grams)

0 mg

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