This 100% whole wheat loaf is moist, tender, AND high-rising. Subtly studded with seeds and nuts, it makes wonderfully flavorful toast and sandwiches.
To prepare the dough, weigh your flour; or measure it by gently spooning it into a cup, then sweeping off any excess. Combine flour with all of the ingredients, and mix them until you have a shaggy dough.
Let the dough rest, covered, for 20 minutes, then knead until fairly smooth.
Allow the dough to rise, covered, for 1 to 2 hours, or until it's puffy and nearly doubled in bulk.
Gently deflate the dough, shape it into a log, and place it in a lightly greased 9" x 5" bread pan.
Cover the pan with lightly greased plastic wrap (or a clear shower cap), and allow it to rise for 1 to 2 hours, until it's crowned about 1" to 2" over the rim of the pan. Towards the end of the rising time, preheat the oven to 350°F.
Bake the bread for 40 to 45 minutes, tenting it lightly with aluminum foil for the final 20 minutes of baking. The bread should be golden brown, and its interior should register 195°F to 205°F on an instant-read thermometer inserted into its center.
Remove it from the oven, and after 5 minutes turn it out of the pan onto a rack to cool.
Want to make this bread with the help of your bread machine? Place the dough ingredients into your machine in the order listed and choose the dough or manual cycle. When the cycle is done, remove the risen dough and shape and bake as directed in the recipe above. Note: Due to the many brands of bread machines on the market and their different features, we can’t guarantee you can bake this bread start to finish in your own machine; please use the dough or manual cycle instead.
