Wholewheat Olive Oil Bread

In a large bowl sift 1 cup whole wheat flour, sugar and yeast. Mix milk and water and heat the mixture lightly, until slightly warm. Add the warm liquid to dry ingredients, stir and add olive oil. Mix for 2 minutes with a whisk or using a mixer on medium speed. Sift over the bowl the remaining whole wheat flour and salt. Continue to add the remaining all-purpose flour, sifting it over the mixture one cup at a time. After a while you’ll need to continue mixing the dough with a wooden spoon or using your fingers. The wheatmeal dough is weaker than the usual white bread dough, as the bran particles break up the gluten bonds in the bread dough. So to prevent it from collapsing when it rises, this dough will need more kneading, in order to develop the glutens as much as it’s possible . So scrape the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead it for around 5 minutes. Add some flour, if the dough is too sticky and continue kneading. After 5 (or more) minutes of kneading, when the dough is soft and elastic, form a ball and grease it lightly with olive oil. Place it in a bowl and let rise for 30 minutes, until it doubles in size. When the dough is raised, pinch it to knock out the air. Transfer it on a lightly floured surface and knead again for few minutes. Add some sifted white flour, if needed. Divide the dough in 6 balls and place them on a lightly greased baking sheet. Cover and let rise again, this time for 15 minutes. Meanwhile preheat the oven to 50 C. When the dough rises for second time, knead every ball just for about 30 seconds, greasing your hands with olive oil. Form every ball into an elongated cylindrical shape and arrange them over the baking sheet with a good distance in between (around 10cm). With a sharp knife cut 3 or 4 shallow slits over every mini loaf. Put in the warm oven to rise for third time, for around 10 minutes. Increase the temperature to 180C and bake for 15-20 minutes, until loafs have nice golden color. The breads are ready, when tapping the bottom with a finger produces a hollow sound. If you’re not sure the bread is well baked inside, decrease the temperature to 120C and leave it in the oven for 5-10 more minutes. Cool on a rack.