Our hearty wheat berry bread is really all about double the flavor, double the fun. Wait, what is wheat berry bread all about? Honestly, it is about using flour made from the best quality freshly milled wheat berries, nothing added and nothing taken away, and then kneading some fresh whole wheat berries into your loaves of bread. We call that a “double”!
Using wheat berries in bread gives your loaf(s) a random, delightful, chewy crunch and an extra burst of flavor. Who doesn’t like a little extra crunch and burst of flavor?
Our berry wheat bread completely speaks for itself and uses very few ingredients. That is why we are planning ahead for the company and baking up several loaves in our kitchen. Our guests are always thrilled to enjoy this recipe for wheat berry bread with us. You're gonna love it and your guests will too!
Combine water and uncooked wheat berries in a kettle and bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat, simmer 50 minutes until tender and drain, reserving 1 cup of cooking liquid. Set wheat berries aside.
Let the 1 cup of cooking liquid stand until its temperature is warm. Stir in the package of yeast until dissolved.
Meanwhile in a heavy saucepan on the stove top combine milk, maple syrup, and salt. Stir with a whisk until maple syrup and salt are dissolved. Continue to heat milk mixture over medium heat until it also reaches a warm temperature of 100° - 110°. Add milk mixture to the yeast mixture and whisk together. Let stand 5 minutes.
Measure flours and mix together. Lightly spoon cups of bread flour into dry measuring cups and level with a knife. Stir 5 ½ cups of the flour mixture into the liquid mixture a few cups at a time.
Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes. Add up to ½ cup more flour at a rate of 1 tbsp. at a time, just enough to prevent dough from sticking to your hands even though the dough will feel slightly tacky.
Place dough in a large bowl lightly coated with coconut oil, turn the dough over to coat with cooking spray. Cover dough and allow to rise in a warm place, about 85 degrees, free form drafts until doubled in size. Check dough by pushing two fingers into dough. If the indentation remains, the dough has risen enough.
Punch dough down, cover and let rest 5 minutes. Meanwhile, lightly spray coconut oil to coat 2 loaf pans.
Divide dough in half and work with one portion at a time.
Knead ½ of the cooked wheat berries into the dough and place the 1st finished loaf in pan. Repeat this step for the second loaf.
Sprinkle each loaf with 1 tbsp. wheat bran. Cover and let rise until double in size, about 45 minutes.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees and bake for 45 minutes or until golden. Cool in loaf pan for 10 minutes and transfer to a cooling rack, removing the loaves. Cool completely.
