So here comes my next bread experiment – one of my most successful bread bakes ever! Presenting to you, Semolina Whole Wheat Bread – so so soft, super silky and the crumb looks like a dream. Over the last month or so, I had been making a lot of bread just that I had not been having a lot of success. If baking is science, bread baking is an art combined with science.
Ever since I started making bread at home, there has not been turning back, except for these last few experiments. I was trying to make whole wheat sandwich bread and I cant call it a flop because every loaf of bread tastes delicious and yet, it was missing something. And I knew what it was. Gluten.
Whole Wheat flour lacks natural gluten and that makes it one of the toughest things to make bread with. Especially with our lack of choices when it comes to whole wheat flours in India. We do get our atta, but it is not very good for bread baking. Loaf after loaf, my confidence kept coming down until I made one loaf that gave me a boost. Wait for the whole wheat bread recipe but for now, I have a considerably easy recipe of Semolina Whole Wheat to incorporate that whole wheat flour and yet, have amazing results.
Every ingredient works differently when it comes to bread baking. As I posted in my earlier bread recipe, it is all about the amount of yeast, liquid and resting time that makes a world of difference to breads baked at home. If you are new to bread baking, it is always advisable to go with an easy recipe to make white bread at home. Once you are comfortable with the kneading and folding techniques, go for slightly technical ones like this Semolina Whole Wheat Bread.
This bread gives such a high raise and the crumb definitely is very beautiful. Because of the ingredients used in this Semolina Whole Wheat bread, it almost has a nutty taste and makes for perfect sandwich or even a simple toast. The only thing I found a little challenging was how stretchy and stringy the dough was. I had to constantly grease my hands to knead it till springy. But it was so worth the effort. The bread is a thing of beauty to look at.
Now I have made this Semolina Whole Wheat bread more than three times already – in fact this has become my go to bread recipe and I make it every other week now. This loaf stays moist and soft for over a week when refrigerated and cuts through so easily. In spite of using whole wheat flour, it is not one bit dense and looks like white sandwich bread too. As I keep saying, this is my dream bread recipe and a keeper for sure! Play around with the proportions of whole wheat flour to semolina and get different textures – check notes below for more details.
How to make Semolina Whole Wheat Bread
📖 Recipe
Detailed step by step picture recipe of making Semolina Whole Wheat Bread
In a large mixing bowl, add fine semolina, whole wheat flour, active instant dry yeast, salt and sugar.
Mix the dry ingredients well. Add warm water into it all at once.
Roughly mix the dry and wet ingredients using a spoon. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil. Don’t knead it at this stage and set it aside for atleast 10 mins.
Dump the dough onto a clean kitchen counter/work area and add 1 tablespoon of olive oil.
Start kneading the dough by pressing & stretching it using the heel of the palm, pushing it away from you. Fold the dough, turn it by a quarter again bringing it towards you and continue the stretching process. Repeat this for 5-7 mins at the least until the dough becomes smooth. Dust the counter with semolina or grease your palm with olive oil if the dough is too sticky.
The dough should bounce back slowly when pressed with your finger. That’s when the kneading should stop. Place the dough in a greased container covered with cling film or kitchen towel in a warm place to double up.
This could take 1 to 1.5hrs depending on the temperature/climatic conditions.
Slightly punch down the proofed dough and knead it again for 2-3 mins.
In order to shape the bread, flatten out the dough and fold both the ends into the center, seal it well. Then roll the bread dough tightly from one end.
10. Seal the ends so that the dough resembles a log.
11. Transfer the log of dough carefully into a greased 9.5 x 4.5 bread tin, with the sealed side facing downwards.
Let the dough raise again in a warm place until it raises above the rim of the tin and forms a dome. It should take about 30-60mins. Don’t let the bread raise too much as it can fall back down.
In the last ten mins of the raise, preheat the oven at 180°C. Bake the bread in a preheated oven for 30-35 mins at 180°C and with five minutes more to bake, apply a coat of butter on top and bake again. Soon the top begins to brown. Remove from oven. When tapped at the bottom, it should sound hollow, that shows that the bread is done.
Let it cool down for 5 mins and gently loosen it up edges, remove it from the tin. Keep it covered with a kitchen towel. Wait for the bread to completely cool down before slicing with a long sharp serrated knife. Store in fridge for longer shelf life.
Recipe Notes
Semolina should be very fine. Raw Chiroti Rava works really well. In case if that is not available, coarsely grind regular sooji rava until fine. Kneading this dough can get a little tricky as the dough is very stretchy and can be sticky. Use oil for greasing and 1-2 tablespoon of semolina as needed. If using 50:50 semolina to whole wheat flour, use 1.5 cups of water. I used regular chapathi atta to make this bread and it works well. In the place of olive oil, regular cooking oil or melted butter can be used.
I would be delighted to know if you have tried this recipe, don’t forget to share your feedback and comments below. If you have any questions, you can e-mail me! I am also available on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram and Twitter 🙂
