Whole Wheat Spinach Bread

I made my way to the theater with a friend last night to see Hunger Games. It’s been years since I’ve been to a movie, years! I’m not sure how I feel about the movie; I’m still digesting it. When I got on to post this recipe this morning I thought of Peeta! You have to love him regardless of anything else in the movie. What a great character. Now on to the bread.

I saw a recipe for spinach bread on TV ages ago and the idea has popped in and out of my head since then. I planned on making this for St. Patrick’s Day in hopes it would make a green bread. It didn’t end up happening for a green meal that day and that’s probably a good thing; it’s not hardly green.

I was so excited to make and eat this bread. I was expecting a lot of deep, bold flavors. I was surprised when I bit into it and it just tasted like normal good bread. There is no distinct spinach flavor. If you were to blindfold me, feed me the bread, and ask me what was in it, I would not say spinach. Ever. Now, it does taste hearty and earthy, but not necessarily spinachy. This was excellent dipped in a rich olive oil and made a gorgeous addition to a typical meal of pasta.

Whole Wheat Spinach Bread
Printable Recipe
Makes 2 large loaves

Frozen Spinach (10 ounces), thawed
2 cups warm water
1 T. plus 1 tsp yeast
1 T. sugar
2 tsp. salt
3 T. olive oil
1 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. garlic powder
2 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
3 cups all-purpose flour

Thaw and squeeze out as much moisture from the spinach as you can. Put the spinach, water, yeast, sugar, salt, olive oil, onion powder, garlic powder, and whole wheat flour in the bowl for your stand mixer and mix on medium speed (with the dough hook) for 5 minutes. Scrape down the sides a few times, as needed. Add the all-purpose flour a half cup at a time until the dough starts to pull from the sides. Continue to mix the dough for another 5 to 8 minutes. After the dough has been mixed, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead it by hand until the dough is no longer sticky to the touch, adding more flour as needed. The dough should be smooth and elastic. Form the dough into a smooth ball and place on a lightly floured board and cover it with a clean tea towel. Allow the dough to double in size, about 45 minutes.

After the dough has doubled, divide it into two equal parts. Shape into two round or two long french bread-style loaves. Place the loaves on a large baking sheet that has been lined with parchment paper. Cover with a towel and allow the loaves to rise until almost doubled, about one hour. While the dough is rising, preheat the oven to 400 degrees. When the loaves are ready, using a very sharp knife cut 1/2 inch deep slashes along the top every few inches. Place the bread in the oven and cook for 40-50 minutes until the bread is deep brown and sounds hollow when tapped. Remove from oven and allow to cool on a wire rack before slicing.

MY OTHER RECIPES

If you are in the mood for spinach bread you might also like:
Garlic infused olive oil for dipping by Emeril Lagasee
Spinach Bread by The Novice Housewife
Spinach Feta Bread at The Knead for Bread

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