Icelandic Brown Bread

In the bowl of a stand mixer with the dough hook attached, or in a large bowl with a wooden spoon or dough whisk, combine water, butter, sugar, brown sugar and molasses. Add salt, all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour and the yeast. Mix with the dough hook until everything is combined.

After mixing for a minute or so, dough should come together and clear the sides and bottom of the bowl. If too wet and sticky to clear the bottom of the bowl, sprinkle in a little more whole wheat flour, a tablespoon at a time, until dough clears the bottom of the bowl. It should be soft and slightly tacky to the touch, but not overly sticky. Knead dough for 8–10 minutes (12–14 by hand) until smooth and elastic. Remove dough to a lightly oiled bowl, turning to coat, and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Allow to rise until almost doubled, about 2 hours.

Punch down dough and turn out onto a lightly oiled surface. Divide into two pieces and shape each into a loaf. Place each loaf into an oiled 8×4 inch bread pan and cover with plastic wrap. Allow loaves to rise for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until almost doubled.

Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Bake loaves 50–60 minutes, or until browned and cooked through. Turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely before slicing.