Everyday 100% Whole Wheat Sandwich Bread

Since we love whole grains, I was especially eager to try this recipe for 100% whole wheat sandwich bread. On the other hand, I wasn't sure it could beat the recipe I usually bake for our daily bread.

We really enjoyed this bread. It made two very large loaves. The flavor was superb. I thought the bread was a little heavier then my usual recipe - then again, I've only made this recipe once and I'm sure it would get better with a little practice.

I replaced 1/4 cup of whole wheat flour with vital gluten. Maybe this was too much. I should have followed Peter's recommendation of also increasing the water.

The conclusion - a recipe with a lot of potential. I wish it were slightly less dense but the flavor was worth making again.

I have made this recipe 4 times and it is a great everyday use bread. I have used it as sandwich bread and made it into rolls and both ways are equally satisfying.

It is very light and airy and you cannot even tell it is made from 100% whole wheat. All of my past attempts with wheat bread (using other non Peter Reinhart recipes) has resulted in bread that more resembles a brick than a soft loaf of bread.

I have also tried and enjoyed some of the suggested recipe variations, substituting 5 oz of ground flax seeds (i didn't have whole) for 5 oz whole wheat flour.

I would rate this recipe 4 stars. Near perfect. The only deficiency preventing me from giving it 5 stars is the bread is a little bit dense making it difficult to slice very thin slices cleanly without breaking. It may be a result of 100% whole wheat flour, rather than the recipe or it may be a result of baker error as well, so I apologize for the rating downgrade if that is the case.