We're finally onto whole-wheat breads! January is almost over and there's nothing like starting a new month off with a new type of bread. There are some pretty crazy sounding breads coming up in these next few weeks, and this is a great one to start off with. It has a ton of honey and a bunch of lemon zest in it. I'm going to try and halve a lot of these recipes just so I don't have to buy tons of whole-wheat flour, and it turned out pretty well for this loaf.
This is the first bread so far that I've had to let it rise in the refrigerator. If they want it to rise in the cold, I could probably just let it rise on the counter next to a window. The suggested rising time is 2 - 24 hours, according to the recipe. It says to take it out when it's about doubled in size, but Bernard Clayton makes it sound like the longer you leave it in there the better it gets (he says he always leaves it in the fridge for 18 hours!). I took it out at about the 7 hour mark, and it turned out exceptional! The crust is really soft and the inside is jam packed with flavor. You get hints of the honey at first and bits of lemon scattered throughout, and c'mon, what more could you ask for?
This is a perfect bread to start whole-wheat with. I hope that the recipes only go up in quality. I generally prefer whole-wheat breads just because it's healthier for you, and I think some of these future recipes are going to persuade other people to go whole-wheat as well. I bet this bread makes great toast, and even better sandwich bread! I can't wait to try it with all sorts of combinations!
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