Wheat bread and I, we’re likethis.
Almost every morning, wheat bread serves as the vehicle to getting peanut butter toast into my belly for breakfast. For lunch or dinner, it is oftentimes the base of my sandwiches, grilled cheese, etc. And when I want dessert that is healthy but also not-so-healthy, a spread of Nutella or cookie butter on a slice of wheat bread comes to the rescue.
We’re basically besties. Also, now you know that my diet is like 80 percent toast.
But cracked wheat bread and I? That’s a whole different story. I’d never put cracked wheat into my bread before making this recipe from Red Star Yeast, let alone tried the stuff on its own. But ho ho hooooo, friends, let me tell you — it’s tasty. Dare I say so tasty, my trusted wheat bread may have some stiff competition.
Red Star Yeast certainly was onto something when they decided hey, let’s stir some cracked wheat into a bread! And that something is a soft, textured, nutritious sandwich loaf that rivals any storebought variety in the wheat bread category. I guess this isn’t really a wheat bread, per se, because it’s made with bread flour and cracked wheat is stirred into the dough, BUT my point is this: If you’re a wheat bread lover like me, you will find yourself head over heels for this bread, too. Get ready for a lot more peanut butter toast/sandwich/grilled cheese-makin’ in your near future (YEAH TOAST).
Cracked wheat may be a big of an enigma to find at the grocery store, but I found it in the bulk section of my local natural foods market and it was supah cheap. Also, if baking bread kind of freaks you out, take a deep breath, maybe have a glass of wine and then take a gander at these baking tips from Red Star Yeast, which take you through the whole process. You can totally do this!
Cracked wheat bread, guys. You’re gonna love it.
P.S. Check out Red Star Yeast on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.
Cracked Wheat Bread
Ingredients
- 1 ⅓ cups water
- ¾ cup cracked wheat
- 3 cups bread flour, divided
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 2 ¼ teaspoons active dry yeast, 1 packet
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Instructions
- In a small saucepan, bring water to a boil. Pour boiling water over cracked wheat in a small bowl; stir. Let cool to 120 to 130 degrees F.
- Meanwhile, stir together 1 cup flour, sugar, yeast and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer. Add oil and cracked wheat mixture. Stir with paddle attachment on medium speed 4 minutes.
- Gradually add remaining flour. Knead with dough hook on low speed 5 to 7 minutes until dough is smooth and elastic. Transfer bread to a lightly oiled bowl; turn to coat. Cover and let rise in a warm place 1 hour until doubled.
- Punch down risen dough. On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to a 14-by-7-inch rectangle. Roll up from the short end into a tight log; pinch seam to seal. Transfer log to a lightly greased 9-by-5-inch loaf pan. Cover and let rise 1 hour until doubled.
- Heat oven to 375 degrees F. Bake bread 35 to 40 minutes until golden brown. Remove from loaf pan; cool completely on a cooling rack before slicing.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like this recipe? Rate & comment below!Disclosure: I received compensation from Red Star Yeast for recipe development purposes. All opinions are my own.
This sounds yummy. Can you tell me how I can use my sourdough starter to make this instead of commercial yeast?
Maggie, I wish I had an easy answer for you, but I’m not sure how to use a starter for this recipe in place of commercial yeast. A lot of times, when you want to convert a traditional yeast bread recipe to a sourdough recipe, you need to adjust the flour/water volumes as well to accommodate — which requires a lot of math and testing. This post goes into all of the details and is very informative, if you want to go that route! https://truesourdough.com/want-to-convert-your-recipe-to-sourdough-heres-how/
Is cracked wheat something called Bulgur also?
Gogi, It is not exactly the same thing, so I don’t know if Bulgur would work in this recipe!
Can I use All Purpose Flour in place of Bread Flour?
Sandy, Yes you can!
Help! I soaked the cracked wheat in the boiling water, cooled to 80 degrees. At this point it had absorbed almost all of the water. After mixing in the bread machine, the dough was dry and crumbly. I added water – at least 1/2 cup and took it out of the machine to hand knead. Question: Is the boiling water (1 3/4 cup on the Red Star Yeast page) the only water in the dough or, do you drain the cracked wheat and add to 1 3/4 cup water, flour, salt, sugar, yeast? At this point it’s a stiff, dry dough. Thanks! (Not a newbie at making bread. I’ve made my grandma’s bread for over 50 years and a bread machine for almost 30 years. Frustrating!)
Maxine — To my knowledge cracked wheat and par-boiled bulgur, though very similar, are not the same. You can try swapping par-boiled bulgur for the cracked wheat in the recipe, but as with any substitution, I cannot guarantee it will have the same results. (By the way, I found cracked wheat in the cereal aisle at my grocery store, not in the baking aisle, if that helps you find it!)
Is cracked wheat and the par-boiled bulgher the same? I’m trying to make my mother’s 1950s recipe for cracked wheat bread and cannot find uncooked cracked wheat. Mom would soak 2 cups cracked wheat in water overnight. Most of the water used to soak the wheat was absorbed by the wheat. (probably enough water to cover). The recipe called for 2 cups scalded milk. Any suggestions?
Thanks!
This is wheat bread perfection! Oh, this loaf is happening soon. Pinned!
Your bread always looks so perfect! I am still intimidated by bread but I will have to try it. I live on toast too, and it would be great to try making my own finally.