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a loaf of brown bread sliced, with a close up of the interior texture on a blue and white tea towel

Brown Bread Sandwich Loaf with Fresh Milled Flour

A soft, lightly sweet brown bread made with fresh-milled hard wheat, molasses, and honey. Perfect for sandwiches, toast, and to round out meals.
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Rise Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Total Time 2 hours 30 minutes
Serving Size 2 loaves

Equipment

  • 1 Stand Mixer optional, but recommended

Ingredients

  • 2 1/4 cups water
  • 1/2 cup buttermilk or clabbered milk: 1–2 tsp lemon juice or vinegar stirred into milk
  • 4 tbsp molasses
  • 4 tbsp honey
  • 6 tbsp softened butter
  • 6 2/3 cups fresh-milled hard wheat flour 800g
  • 4 tsp instant yeast
  • 2 1/2 tsp salt
  • 4 tbsp cocoa powder

Instructions

  • In a large mixing bowl or stand mixer, combine the water, buttermilk, molasses, honey, and softened butter.
  • Add the fresh-milled flour, yeast, salt, and cocoa powder. Mix until the dough just comes together. It will look soft and loose.
  • Cover and let the dough rest for 25 minutes (autolyse). Do not skip this step.
  • Knead for 8–10 minutes until smooth and elastic. Dough will remain slightly tacky—use oiled hands to handle it.
  • Place dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover, and let rise until doubled, about 1 hour.
  • Turn dough onto a lightly oiled surface and divide into two 9x5 loaves OR one loaf + 16 rolls. Shape tightly. (Add oats on top if desired.)
  • Let rise again until doubled, about 45 minutes. Use the poke test:
  • Slowly fills back in with a light indent → ready to bake
  • Springs back quickly → needs 10–15 more minutes
  • Bake loaves at 350°F for 30–35 minutes, or until internal temperature reaches 190–195°F. (Rolls bake faster.)
  • Remove from pans and cool on their sides for 15–20 minutes to prevent sinking, then move to a rack to cool fully.

Notes

This dough can also be made into rolls or slider buns.
Freshly milled hard wheat is necessary for structure. Hard white or Hard red will work, I like hard red best for this recipe!
Allow bread to cool completely before slicing for clean, even slices.