Honey Wheat Berry Bread

Just love the texture on this bread.  Perfect for toasting, and

a nice crunch on the wheat berries that are left whole.

My eldest brother recently mentioned to me that

his favorite Oroweat Honey Wheat Berry Bread, 

had recently changed their recipe.  Or at least modified it,

so it was not the amazing toasting bread he knew it used to be. 

Doing a bit of reading, I found that other people had the same comments.

There favorite bread was no longer quite the same.

So I gave an attempt  to replicate the recipe according to what other 

people had tried.

You can complete puree the soaked and cooked wheat berries, 

or leave some whole for a nice texture. Totally up to each baker.

As Always, 

ENJOY!

Recipe Source: Kitchen Mage

INGREDIENTS

This recipe makes two large 
water 3 cups 
Wheat berries 3/4 cup 
Milk, room temp 3/4 cup 
Whole wheat flour 1 cup 
instant yeast 1 tablespoon 
Honey 1/4 cup 
Butter 1/4 cup 
Bread flour 6 1/2 cups 
salt 1 tablespoon 

Combine wheat berries and 3 cups of water in a medium sauce pan. Cover and set aside to soak for an hour. After an hour, leave pan covered and cook on medium heat, stirring occasionally, until wheat berries are soft and popping open. The water level will be reduced by ~1/2 cup and the wheat berries will be fat and soft. Let cool and prepare for use in dough.

In mixing bowl, combine wheat berries, milk, yeast and whole wheat flour. Mix until well combined, cover and set in a warm spot until bubbly, 20 - 30 minutes.

Add the softened butter, honey and 5 1/2 cups of bread flour. Mix until it forms a shaggy mass. Continue to add flour, a tablespoon or two (or more at first), until the dough stops readily absorbing it. Mix for another minute, two if mixing by hand. The dough will still be a bit rough. Cover and let rest on the counter for 20 minutes.

Add salt. Spread a cup of flour on the counter and knead for 4 - 5 minutes, adding more flour if needed. Knead.

Roll the dough in flour, put it in a clean bowl, cover and let rise until doubled in bulk (about an hour).

Turn the dough out on a lightly floured counter, divide in half and shape into loaves. Grease two loaf pans. Put the shaped loaves in the pans and let rise until doubled in bulk (about an hour).

Preheat oven to 375F (175C). Bake bread for 45 minutes or until golden brown (~195F/90C internal temperature). Turn out of pans onto cooling rack for at least an hour.