Wheat Bread (The recipe Ryan uses.)

Ryan made bread from this recipe for us when Cheryl and I were visiting their family in Ritzville in the Fall of 2009.  It was sooooooooooooooooo good and I wanted the recipe.  I got it!  I did it!  Here it is.  It's a bread that does not take HOURS to make (and I don't miss the hand kneading part, either!)

This is a recipe for using 100% whole wheat flour-- and, the loaf doesn't end up feeling like a brick, either,   Yippee!!!!!!

The honey is from Rick's own beehives--  it's the best!!

The texture inside the loaf is good, too...

Other than my own two hands, and a larger version of Kitchen Aid mixer, I do not have a bread maker.  So,............ I use the Kitchen Aid.  I start with the mixer paddle, and then I switch to the dough hook when I start to add the last amounts of wheat flour.  (I coat the dough hook with oil before using it-- that helps a little to keep the dough from clinging to it.)

Mix these first four ingredients and mix only until the flour is wet:

2 and 1/2 cups hot tap water
1/4 cup honey (could substitute with 3 tbsp. sugar if you don't have honey)
2 and 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1/3 cup vital wheat gluten flour (I used to buy this in Wal-Mart, but didn't see it lately; since, I've ordered some through Amazon.)

As long as the above mixture isn't TOO hot, yet, add the following and mix for only 15 seconds:

1 and 1/2 tablespoon yeast (this would be 4.5 teaspoons)

Add the next two ingredients and mix for 5 minutes:

1/3 cup oil (I used 1/3 cup butter and it worked great)
1 and 1/2 teaspoon salt

Now, continue adding flour (maybe 3 to 3.5 cups) until dough becomes elastic like, springs back and does not stick to the edges of the bowl.  "Knead" in mixer with dough hook for at least 6 minutes (or knead by hand for 10 minutes). 

Shape into loaves (or rolls) with oil on your hands.  I use my 9"x5" pans and I get two loaves from this recipe.  If using the 8" x 4" pans, you'd get three loaves. Place in warm oven (no warmer than 90-100 degrees) until double in size*;  then, set oven at 350-degrees and bake large pans for almost 35 minutes, or small pans for just 30 minutes.  Remove from pans and butter the tops.  Enjoy!

*To warm the oven for the bread rising, you can turn the oven on to the lowest setting for just a few minutes before the end of mixing everything.  Then, just before the final 'kneading' cycle, turn the oven off and it stays warm enough for the rising period. When putting the bread in to rise in that 'cozy/warm' oven, just leave the oven light on (it makes watching the pans/dough easier, and it gives off heat, too).

Note:  According to what Jennifer wrote when she sent the recipe to me, this is a slightly modified bread recipe adapted to make three of the smaller loaves from "The Amazing Wheat Book" by LeArta Moulton.