Comments on: 100% whole wheat sandwich bread

By: bridget

bridget — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 14:24:39 +0000

mb – You let the biga and soaker sit overnight right? And after kneading the whole dough for 5-10 minutes, it wasn’t smooth and elastic? Maybe it needed more water? What kind of flour did you use?

By: mb

mb — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 03:43:42 +0000

hi, i just tried this recipe and after mixing the biga and soaker and all the other ingredients, the dough didnt come out smooth and elastic. it was still 1 whole dough but would break in some parts. i couldn’t try the windowpane test nor the poking with finger test to see if dough springs back. any idea why? thanks for your time.

By: Ann Rein

Ann Rein — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 11:44:05 +0000

Thank you, Bridget!!

By: bridget

bridget — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 03:41:33 +0000

Ann Rein – Fixed. Thanks for the heads up.

By: Ann Rein

Ann Rein — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 20:12:01 +0000

The ‘printer friendly’ page returns a 404 error – could you fix the link?

By: bridget

bridget — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 14:39:49 +0000

Emily - All of the recipes in Reinhart's Whole Grain Baking book call for the dough to be just mixed in the mixer, and then kneaded by hand, but I always knead them in the mixer as well. It usually takes 6-8 minutes, and you're looking for a very smooth dough that springs right back when you press it. You can also use the windowpane test, which means that if you slowly stretch out the dough, you should be able to get it thin enough to see light through it, like in this picture. I just checked my recipe for this bread and realized I didn't include detailed instructions for shaping the dough for a loaf pan. I'll add that now.

By: Emily

Emily — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 13:02:05 +0000

Thanks, Bridget! I made this over the weekend and it turned out pretty well. I used to make a lot of yeast breads with white flour, but lately I’ve just been doing no-knead whole wheat breads. How do you get the loaves into such perfect shapes? Also, when kneading dough with the mixer, how do you know when it is done and how long does it usually take?

By: bridget

bridget — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 00:53:43 +0000

Anna – The second photo down shows the biga and the soaker. I’m pretty sure the biga is on the bottom. Both should basically look like bread dough; I guess probably a stiffer dough. I’ve had to add more water than Reinhart instructs as well, but it’s more important to get the right consistency than it is to stick to the recipe.

By: Anna

Anna — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 00:15:17 +0000

Hello! I’ve been trying to make a loaf of Peter Reinhart’s 100% wheat bread but i feel that the biga is very dry after all the ingredients are mixed in. Is this normal and does anyone have a picture of what the biga should look like? Mine still has flour unmixed because it is such a dry mixture. Thanks for the tips!

By: Ellie

Ellie — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 18:03:56 +0000

I just made this bread and love it! Wonderful bread for sure… Check out my post at
http://homecookinginmontana.blogspot.com/2010/01/peter-reinharts-100-whole-wheat.html

Thanks for the inspiration!