Whole Wheat Bread

Makes 4 loaves
4 cups hot water (from tap) 

1 Tbs plus 1 tsp. instant yeast 
5 cups wheat flour (made from hard white wheat)

Mix with dough hook, cover and let rest for 10 – 15 min. (This bread can be made in a Bosch mixer or a Kitchenaid or by hand, I've tried it all) Then add:

½ cup oil
½ cup honey
1 Tbs plus 1 tsp salt
1 Tbs dough enhancer (optional: makes bread stay fresh longer)
2 Tbs gluten (optional: makes bread less crumbly, texture is better when added)
¼ cup flax seed (ground) (optional: I grind in a coffee grinder) 
1/4 cup chia seed (ground) (optional: I grind in coffee grinder)
5 – 6 cups more wheat flour

Add all the ingredients except the flour. Turn mixer to low and then add flour one cup at a time. Mix until dough leaves sides of bowl. Dough should be just a little sticky for the best bread. Too much flour makes dry bread. Turn up and mix on high for 10 min.

Divide dough into 4 equal portions. To handle dough, spray hands with Pam or put butter on them. To make loaves equal, I weigh each loaf on a kitchen scale. They should be about 1 1/2 pound loaves. Shape into loaves and put in greased loaf pans. (I use Pam for this) Let rise in oven with light turned on and a bowl of hot water in the bottom for 40 min. (don’t turn oven on yet)

Take loaves out of oven and pre heat to 350 degrees. (325 convection) Add loaves to oven and bake 30 min. Turn out of pan and cool on rack. After bread is cooled to room temperature, bag and put extra loaves in the freezer. When you are ready for them, let them thaw at room temperature or defrost in microwave. This bread freezes well and tastes fresh when thawed.

Tip: When measuring oil and honey, put oil in cup first, then add honey. This makes the honey slip right out of the cup.

Ingredients for 3 loaves

3 C. hot water

4 C. whole wheat flour

1 T. instant yeast

Stir, cover and let sit for 10 min. Add:

1/3 C oil
1/3 C honey

1 T. salt

3/4 T. dough enhancer

1 1/2 T. gluten

3 - 4 cups flour

Measure oil

Then add honey

Weigh each loaf

 

Ready to rise

Risen, ready to cook

All done

Some optional ideas for specialty breads:

Before putting loaf in pan, add 1/2 tsp minced garlic, 1/4 cup parmesan cheese and a sprinkle of Italian seasoning. Mix in by hand and then form loaf. Cook as usual. This makes really good toasted cheese sandwich bread.

Or add 1/2 tsp orange zest and 1/4 cup dried cranberries. This one is good with cream cheese on it.

Or add 1/4 cup raw sunflower seeds.

Or add 1/4 tsp cinnamon and 1/4 cup raisins. This one is good for French toast.