BBC Good Food

07 February 2008

Tested

"Quick tips for heavy whole wheat breads: 1) Mix the yeast with a bit (100ml or so) of luke warm water and some of the sugar, in this case the treacle. A spoonful or so should do it. Make sure the water is warm to the touch, but not hot. Wait about 10 minutes. You'll see it bubbling away. Mix it into all the dry ingredients before adding the rest of the wet. 2) Keep the bread warm while it's rising. Put your oven on the lowest setting and stick it on top. Keep it covered! 3) Try substituting some of the whole wheat, rye or quinoa for white or white whole wheat flour. You can also use a high gluten or "very strong" whole wheat, as these are easier to rise. I know you can get this in the supermarkets in the uk, and king arthur flours does one in the us. Good luck and don't give up on whole wheat breads. They can be tricky but they're worth the effort."