Learning how to make whole wheat bread.
First challenge is how to easily dissolve one Tbsp yeast in 1/4 warm cup water.
Have been using a small whisk, which works so so.
There is usually a residue of undissolved yeast in the mixing cup.
Any surefire recipes would also be appreciated.

Try this. Weigh your flour; it's more accurate, you can use regular whole wheat flour ILO the white whole wheat flour (King Arthur):

Whole Wheat Sandwich Bread Recipe
Yield: 2 loaves

1⅔ c (13.36 oz) warm water (~105F)
1 rounded tablespoon active dry yeast
Good pinch of sugar to help activate the yeast
¼ c oil
¼ c honey or agave
2 rounded teaspoons salt
480 g bread flour, divided (~4 c)
226 g white whole wheat flour (~2 c)

Pre-warm a KitchenAid mixing bowl with warm tap water. Empty & wipe the bowl, then combine the warm water, sugar, yeast & half of the bread flour. Stir to just incorporate; set aside to sponge for 45-60 min, until risen & bubbly. This sponging of the dough acts as the first rise. Mix the salt with the remaining flour. Attach bowl & dough hook to mixer & add the oil, followed by the honey/agave (it will roll out of the same oil-coated measuring cup). Begin mixing & gradually add the remaining flour. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Once the dough just starts to clean the sides of the bowl, knead for an additional 6 to 7 minutes. The dough should stick slightly to your finger when you touch it, but not cling to it.

Form into two loaves & place in greased 9”x5" pans. To shape the loaves, pat each half into a fairly even oval the length of the pan. Roll up gently, then pinch the long seam together & then pinch the ends & bring them down & in toward the long seam, leaving a smooth top. Place in the pans seam-side down.

Allow to rise in a warm place for 60 min, or longer if needed, to reach ½ to 1-inch above pans (colder kitchens may need longer time). After 30 min, preheat the oven to 350°F. Bake for 30-35 min, rotating halfway if needed. Immediately remove from pans to cool on a rack. Allow to completely cool before slicing.

It's easier to use cake-type yeast. It comes usually in 1 ounce or 16 ounce cubes. Put it in a measuring cup, pour warm water over it, leave it in a warm place (I like the window sill), go have a coffee. When you come back it will be ready.

Working with yeast is like reloading. You work slowly, double check each step, and give everything time to work out. Beating and whisking, I think, is counter productive.

I asked my wife, who uses a Bosch mixer.
She puts the granules of yeast into warm water about 105 F, adds sugar to activate the yeast, it starts producing CO2; she then adds the flour and starts the mixer. Doesn't wait very long before adding the flower.

With most modern yeasts it's not necessary to proof the yeast anymore unless it's suspect of being too old. I generally just add it right to my flour bill these days. When i do add it to water, just sprinkle it on top and let it "melt". Then you can swirl it around in a few minutes once it's left the dry powder stage.

The other tip I'll give you, especially working with WW, is after the initial mix of your flour and water, before you start kneading. just cover it and let it set for ten to fifteen minutes. This allows for hydration and keeps your dough from getting too dry later.

And yes, working by weight instead of volume will be a major improvement in your baking skills. don't be afraid to experiment... you can eat MOST of your mistakes.

Here's one I did in a Dutch oven earlier this week.

quote:

When i do add it to water, just sprinkle it on top and let it "melt". Then you can swirl it around in a few minutes once it's left the dry powder stage.

This is what I do, then stir/whisk. Then I use some of the other liquid in the recipe to rinse the rest out of any sticks.

The great british baking show has some great techinques also. however most involve letting it sit and prove.

4 c. whole wheat flour
4 tsp. yeast
1 tsp. salt
2 Tbs butter
1/4 c. brown sugar
1 1/3 c. warm water
3 Tbs. honey

Use a 2 c. liquid measuring cup and fill to 1 1/3 c. Add honey to fill to 1 1/2 c. Stir well.
Put yeast in a container that holds at least 4 cups. Pour warm water/honey mixture into yeast container. Stir. Clumps are okay - mixture will bubble and clumps will dissolve. Stir occasionally.
Mix all the dry ingredients, then add liquid and softened butter. Knead. If it's too sticky, add a little more flour. Too dry, add water 1 Tbs at a time.
Let rise in warm place 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Knead and make your loaf. Let rise again about 45 minutes. Bake at 350 30-35 minutes.
Mrs. Adobe Sig

I usually start the yeast and sugar water 30 minutes before assembling the dry ingredients. The froth is stirred back in several times. I like a surfeit of wee sleekit yeast beasties.

If using Instant Dry Yeast (i.e., Fleischmann's Rapid Rise Instant Yeast or the 2-pound pack you get at Sam's Club) you don't need to dissolve it.

https://www.thekitchn.com/what...-instant-yeast-54252

http://www.breadworld.com/product/rapidrise-yeast

I'm not the most meticulous baker, and I hate kneading. I often stir up the yeast - water mixture with a fork, sometimes not, I don't notice a real difference.

My old reliable, go to recipe is the Food Network's No Knead Peasant Bread. Everything is mixed together initially, and the magic happens over a long rise cycle, including time in the fridge. Google it, make it up, you won't be disappointed!

If you want to make amazing bread, get the cookbook "Flour Water Salt Yeast." It's awesome. Everything from "I need bread in a few hours" to "I keep a sourdough starter on my counter at all times."

If you like bread with flavor, find a recipe where you start the day before with a portion of the ingredients (the partial overnight batch is usually called a biga or poolish and is added to the rest of the flour and water the next day).

quote:

Originally posted by zoom6zoom:
Here's one I did in a Dutch oven earlier this week.

I am not an expert baker, but several cookbooks I have from highly acclaimed bakers mention baking in a Dutch oven as the best way to replicate a commercial oven in a home kitchen. (The cookbook above and "Tartine Bread," from one of the most famous bakeries in the country.)

In my experience the Dutch oven really does work substantially better. (At least for the crusty, bubbly kind of bread I am interested in baking - maybe not for sandwich bread, I don't know.)

quote:

Originally posted by maladat:
In my experience the Dutch oven really does work substantially better. (At least for the crusty, bubbly kind of bread I am interested in baking - maybe not for sandwich bread, I don't know.)

Several months back I switched to stoneware baking pans for my bread. It makes a big difference in how the loaves turn out.

quote:

Originally posted by maladat:
If you want to make amazing bread, get the cookbook "Flour Water Salt Yeast." It's awesome. Everything from "I need bread in a few hours" to "I keep a sourdough starter on my counter at all times."

If you like bread with flavor, find a recipe where you start the day before with a portion of the ingredients (the partial overnight batch is usually called a biga or poolish and is added to the rest of the flour and water the next day).

quote:

Originally posted by zoom6zoom:
Here's one I did in a Dutch oven earlier this week.

I am not an expert baker, but several cookbooks I have from highly acclaimed bakers mention baking in a Dutch oven as the best way to replicate a commercial oven in a home kitchen. (The cookbook above and "Tartine Bread," from one of the most famous bakeries in the country.)

In my experience the Dutch oven really does work substantially better. (At least for the crusty, bubbly kind of bread I am interested in baking - maybe not for sandwich bread, I don't know.)

Although I have not yet done it, you can find recipes for baking in flower pots, coffee tins, cast iron skillets, and various molds. And don't overlook steamed bread recipes.