Nothing says home like the smell of freshly-baked bread! Something about it makes you feel warm, cozy, and HAPPY! Sweetened with honey and topped with oat bran, this healthy whole-wheat bread is all you need for a cozy breakfast, lunch, or dinner! It’s super soft, fluffy, and delicious, especially when warm from the oven!
Healthy Whole-Wheat Bread with Honey and Oat Bran!
Honey and oat bran are a must for this recipe; they will make your bread look gorgeous and taste amazing! Honey doesn’t only add a beautiful caramelized color, but it also makes this bread taste incredibly flavorful! On the other hand, Bran adds a lovely texture and significant nutritious benefits to this recipe.
For this recipe, I used Bob’s Red Mill Oat Bran. It’s widely available at stores or online. You may also use wheat bran; it turns out just as awesome! Tip for my Moroccan readers: oat bran is called “Noukhalat Choufane” in Moroccan Arabic.
Making Bread
It is making bread used to intimidate me! It always sounded like a challenging doomed-for-failure type of recipe! Let me reassure you; it is NOT difficult! I can tell you from experience it’s much easier than you think. You got this; be patient, use the correct measurements, and remember, practice makes perfect!
My Healthy Whole Wheat Bread Recipe
My recipe is quick and straightforward: it doesn’t take hours to rise, and you don’t need to keep working your arms to knead! However, using the proper water temperature is essential because it gets tricky. In other words, it is best if the lukewarm water temperature is around 42 degrees Celcius because anything more than 43 degrees may kill your yeast. To sum this up, there are three points to remember about water temperature:
- Lukewarm water is your best option!
- Too hot will kill the yeast;
- Too cold, and your dough won’t rise.
Once you’ve mastered the water temperature, the rest is a piece of cake! The recipe below highlights all the steps in detail.
Make it Vegan!
Although yogurt and honey are vital to this recipe, you may use vinegar and granular sugar as substitutes, respectively.
Serving Bread
If it’s a Moroccan dish, it most probably requires bread on the side! This whole-wheat bread makes a fantastic side to Tagines, appetizers, and dips. It also tastes excellent with cheese and olives; you may split and spread it with butter, honey, or jam! Yummmm!!
Healthy Whole Wheat Bread
Ingredients
- 2 cups whole wheat flour
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 Tbsp Greek yogurt (or vinegar)
- 1-1/2 cups Lukewarm water; you may need a bit more. (107 F, or 42 C)
- 1 cup oat bran (or wheat bran)
To activate the yeast:
- 1 Tbsp active dry yeast
- 1/2 Tbsp honey (or sugar)
- 2 Tbsp lukewarm water (107 F, or 42 C)
Instructions
Activate the Yeast
- In a small bowl, combine the yeast with honey and 2 Tbsp lukewarm water (around 107 degrees F, or 42 C). Mix with a spatula, cover with a film, and let rest for 5-10 minutes.
Make the Bread
- In a large bowl, whisk whole-wheat flour with all-purpose flour, salt, and yogurt.
- Add olive oil to the flour mixture and mix by hand.
- Add the activated yeast mixture and mix by hand.
- Add lukewarm water gradually while mixing by hand. Only mix for a few minutes; the dough will be light and sticky. If the dough is too hard, add a little more water.
- Cover the dough with a film and let rise for 10-15 minutes.
- Sprinkle some whole-wheat flour on a flat working surface before moving your dough.
- Using some whole wheat flour, knead the dough until it becomes homogeneous and no longer sticky. Cover with a film and let rise 10-15 minutes.
- Divide the dough into six equal balls. You may choose to make bigger loaves; that's totally fine.
- Rub your hands with warm water before dipping each ball into the bran.
- Put your bran-dipped dough on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Gently flatten the dough balls using the tips of your fingers. Adjust thickness to your liking.
Bake the Bread
- Let the dough rest while the oven is preheating to 425 degrees F. There is no need to cover or poke the dough.
- Cook on the bottom rack for 5 minutes. Then, move to the middle rack and cook for 10-12 minutes.
- Serve immediately or allow to cool. It's up to you! Enjoy 😉
Notes
- Store in an airtight container. This yummy bread stays soft and fresh for days!
- This bread is also freezer-friendly.
Looking for a dish to pair this delicious bread with? Look no more. Here is one of my favorite Tagines!
Did you make this bread? Tag @petitapron on Instagram and show us how it turned out for you!
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