This is a spin off of my Easy French Bread recipe, for Easy Whole Wheat Loaves! Perfectly fluffy and delicious.
While the yeast is rising, combine the rest of the water, salt, sugar, and oil in a large bowl or the bowl of an electric mixture. Add the risen yeast mixture and the 3 cups of whole wheat flour. Stir to combine. If you’re mixing the bread by hand, continue adding flour in small amounts until the mixture is difficult to combine by stirring.
Grease your hands with a little oil, punch the dough down, and divide into 2 sections. Roll the dough into loaf shapes, folding the dough and pinching it underneath to make it smooth, and then rolling it in a bit of extra flour just to lightly cover the surface. Using a sharp knife (I like to use a serrated knife), score the dough with a sharp knife (however you like it - in this recipe I did one long slit down the middle) about 1/4″ deep. Cover with a tea towel and let it rise for 35 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Let the loaves rise 10 minutes more.
Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until golden brown and the loaves sound hollow when tapped. Cool on wire racks.
The Perfect Amount of Flour: If you have a kitchen scale, this recipe is perfect with 900-920g of flour.