Whole Wheat Altar Bread

St. Paul’s on the Green, Norwalk, CT

Revised April 20, 2007. One recipe produces 4 10-oz. loaves - just enough for 200-300 communicants.

1 cup milk

½ cup honey

2 teaspoons salt

4 tablespoons butter for dough

½ tablespoon butter for greasing pans

¼ cup (4 tablespoons) warm water (about 105° F.)

1 teaspoon granulated sugar

1 package active dry yeast

3 cups unbleached white flour

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 teaspoon olive oil

Heat the milk until it bubbles. Remove from heat and add the honey, salt and 4 tablespoons of the butter, stirring until the butter melts. Let cool to lukewarm (about 105° F.) – a higher temperature will kill the yeast.

In a small bowl, dissolve the sugar in the warm water. Sprinkle yeast over the top and swirl with a fork until yeast is suspended in the water. Let stand in a warm draft-free spot^* for 10 minutes and ensure that the yeast is alive by observing that it has begun to foam.

Measure the whole wheat flour and unbleached white flour into a large bowl and blend thoroughly. Remove and set aside about ¼ cup of the mixure for kneading and adjusting the dough later. Make a well in the center of the flour. Combine the cooled milk and yeast mixtures and pour into the flour well. Mix with a fork until dough is stiff and leaves the sides of the bowl.

Turn the dough onto a floured board and let stand while you wash and dry the mixing bowl. Coat the bottom and sides of the bowl with the olive oil. Knead the dough 10 minutes adding the reserved flour if needed to keep the dough from sticking to the board or to your hands. (An electric mixer fitted with a dough hook works well too.) Form the dough into a flat ball, place it in the oiled bowl and turn to coat all sides with oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap punching two small holes in the top for circulation. Move the bowl to the warm draft-free spot^*, and let the dough rise until double in size – usually 4 hours. (The slow rise is due to the whole wheat flour – be patient.)

Coat a cookie sheet with the last ½ tablespoon of butter. Turn the dough onto a floured board, punch down to the original size and divide into 4 loaves. Roll and shape the loaves into flat balls pinching the seams into the underside of the loaf. Arrange them on the cookie sheet, cover loosely with floured kitchen towels, and move them to the warm draft-free spot as above. In about 3 hours the loaves should have doubled in size again.

If you've used the oven for rising, remove the sheet with the loaves and raise the temperature to 400°. (If you have a pizza stone, preheat that in the oven too as a base for the cookie sheet. It will help push the loaves higher and will keep the bottom crust from burning.) Carefully remove the floured towels and slash a cross in the top of each loaf with a very sharp knife or razor blade. Let the oven reach temperature and let it stabilize for 5 minutes. Return the sheets to the oven and bake until the loaves are golden brown – about 15 minutes. Remove to a wire rack to cool.

When the loaves are completely cool store them in a sealed plastic bag until ready to use.

^*The idea here is to provide a draft-free place that’s about 85-100 degrees. A cold oven with the light turned on should work, but if your oven has a 100° setting, use that instead.