Galganov's Recipe for
One Loaf of 50 % Whole Wheat Bread with Cracked Wheat Kernels!

Now let's go make a loaf of this delightful, light whole wheat bread with cracked wheat kernels!

Method I (mixing):

1. Sprinkle yeast onto warm water and let sit a few minutes.
2. Add salt, sugar and oil and mix vigorously.
3. Add 1/3 cup cracked wheat and fully mix in.
4. Add 1 cup of whole wheat flour and beat 100 strong strokes with a wooden spoon.
5. Add 1/2 cup whole wheat flour and 1/2 cup white flour and mix in fully.
6. Add an additional 1/2 cup of white flour and work it in fully. Then add 1/4 cup (or less) at a time only until the stickiness is gone from the dough (add no more than 1/4 cup at a time as you come near the end - working the dough by hand once it becomes too hard to work with the spoon).
7. Knead the dough for about 7 minutes - until it feels silky-smooth.
8. Form the dough into a flattened ball and rub a thin coat of oil over the surface of the dough. Then return the dough to the mixing bowl and cover it.
9. Put the bowl in a warm, draft-free place (we use the oven with the oven light on) and let it rise for 70 minutes (or until the dough has doubled in bulk).

Method II (forming):

1. Turn dough out onto your (lightly floured) work surface. Press the bubbles out of the dough - flattening it out. Cover it with a dish towel and let it rest for about 5 minutes.
2. knead and shape the dough and place it in the loaf pan.
3. cover the loaf with a piece of parchment paper (or wax paper although it sticks a little more) and let rise in a warm, draft-free place for 45 minutes or until double in bulk.

Method III (baking):

1. Preheat the oven to:
      if metal - 475^oF (246^oC)
      if glass or silicon - 455^oF (234^oC)
2. Put loaf in middle of hot oven and bake for 13 minutes
3. After 13 minutes, lower the temperature of the oven to:
      if metal - 450^oF (232^oC)
      if glass or silicon - 430^oF (221^oC)
   Cover the loaf loosely with a piece of tin foil and bake it for an additional 25 minutes. (Leave the loaf to bake uncovered if you want a deeper, harder crust.)
4. Tap test (tap the bottom of the loaf) to check for doneness. If tapping the bottom of the loaf yeilds a hollow sound the loaf is cooked. Otherwise, return the loaf to the oven for just a few minutes more.
5. When cooked, move to a wire rack to cool.

Best of Cracked, Light Whole Wheat Bread Recipes

Q: What is it you like, so much, about this cracked wheat recipe?
A: Well, where do we start? Let's see.

1. It's easy ... it's so darned easy to make, it's almost embarrassing.
2. Instead of a few small, pre-soaked kernels so softened you can't identify them; or hard, little, crunchy bits on the outside, this loaf has chewy pieces of wheat kernels spread throughout the dough contributing significantly to the texture of this loaf.
3. This is not sprinkled with a few of those over-softened or over-crispy, slightly larger than sand-sized pieces of grain strewn about a white bread. These are nicely textured (chewy) pieces of wheat on a wholesome tasting, healthy, 50 % whole wheat loaf.
4. This recipe is easy to modify. Start with as little as 1/2 cup of whole wheat flour and finish with white or make a 100 % whole wheat loaf.
5. This bread is a good source of dietary fiber.

(Did we mention that it's easy to make?)

It would not be a misnomer to call this a "cracked wheat bread" except that with almost all other cracked wheat breads, they are based on white bread with a little bit of over-softened cracked wheat added in (or over-crispy bits added to the outside). This is 50 % whole wheat bread with a full 1/3 cup of cracked wheat added in. It would also be correct to call this a light (well, maybe medium at 50 %) whole wheat bread except that cracked wheat kernels in (even) a light whole wheat (at around 25 %) is rather uncommon. This loaf is a dietary fiber winner!

Mostly oil free, this loaf is a bit more than a pound (around 500 g) has only one teaspoon of salt and and 1 1/2 teaspoons of sugar. While you may elect to make small adjustments based on taste, this vegan loaf is an excellent, all purpose, light whole wheat bread ... with cracked wheat.

As with most of our recipes, no particularly special tools are required to make this light whole wheat bread. This is a foundation bread in many households. Like the basic white utility bread, this loaf is not sweet, salty or rich with milk. It is simply a wholesome tasting, light whole wheat bread with cracked wheat berries. Also like the basic white utility bread, Jewish bakers may be confident that this recipe is kosher and pareve, just as Muslim home bakers will know this recipe is halal.

•  The Classic Grilled Cheese Sandwich
•  The Bacon Lettuce and Tomato Sandwich (BLT)

This bread is SO good it's also available as a Desktop Wallpaper