What is Whole Wheat Bread?
Whole wheat bread is a type of yeast leavened bread made from a dough using whole wheat flour. The whole wheat flour creates a sturdier loaf and a greater flavor that is nutty and gently salty. Whole wheat bread is shaped into a domed oblong or rectangle and can be sliced for sandwiches, toast and other food uses. The texture is soft, yet slightly firm and has a dense and airy crumb. The aroma is warm and sweet.
Ingredients
All purpose flour comes from wheat and though wheat is cultivated all around the world today, it was first cultivated in Turkey 10,000 years ago. All purpose flour is white in color and has a soft texture. This incredibly versatile flour is used in everything from breads, cakes, pastries, crackers, pasta, sauces and much more because of its pleasing and mild flavor that is slightly nutty and buttery. The gluten protein is what helps hold together breads and other products, part of what makes all purpose wheat flour so popular.
Water is a substance and chemical compound made up of hydrogen and oxygen. It is clear, fluid, flavorless and odorless. Water is a necessity in nearly every aspect of life, including cooking, baking and hydrating the human body. Water can be served as a cold beverage, or at any temperature comfortable to the mouth and skin.
Whole wheat flour is made by grinding the wheat kernels until they form a powdery flour. Unlike all purpose flour which only uses part of the kernel, this flour has a greater flavor due to using the whole kernel. The flour is a pale tan color and tastes mild, nutty and sometimes gently sweet. It is used in baked goods, especially bread and can be found in many other food products.
Honey is made by the honey bee. The bees collect flower nectar and then deposit it into the honeycombs in the beehive. Once inside the honeycomb, the nectar breaks down into simple sugars. Evaporation via the fanning of the bees wings and the shape of the honeycomb helps excess liquid to evaporate, creating the sweet syrup that is used around the world. Honey is an amber color that can vary from pale yellow to dark brown. The texture is of an extra thick syrup. All honey is sweet, but the flavor can change considerably from floral to herbal and even nutty, depending on the flowers that the bees collected honey from. Honey is used in both sweet and savory dishes, as well as in tea as a sweetener.
Butter is made from churned cream, usually from a cow. It has a cream color and a texture that is smooth and melts easily. The flavor is mild and creamy. Butter is often sold in square sticks, or as a flat or round block. It is delicious on bread. It pairs better in baked goods than salted butter, due to its more neutral taste. It also makes an excellent cooking fat.
Yeast is a single celled organism used in food and beverage production. It both naturally occurs and is added in to certain foods such as breads, beer and wine. Specific kinds of yeast are used to add depth of flavor to savory foods. Yeast is usually sold as tiny beige granules. It leavens bread, ferments beer and imparts a satisfying umami flavor.
Salt is a mineral composed mostly of sodium chloride. It is the main flavoring used in food and is naturally occurring in certain foods, such as cheese, beets, meat and celery, plus many others. Salt is white and has finer granules than sugar. Many commercial salts include iodide, while others exclude it. Most salts are white, while some are naturally pale pink with minerals. Salt brings out the flavor of something and can create a tangy mouthfeel, if used in excess.
