Honey Whole Wheat Bread How-To

Making bread isn't as hard as most people think it is.  It just takes time and to make it easier, a Bosch mixer.  Don't own a Bosch no problem- you can mix and knead everything by hand or half the recipe and make it in a Kitchen Aid.

Honey Whole Wheat Bread

6 cups warm water
12-15 cups whole wheat flour
3 tablespoons instant yeast
2 tablespoons salt
1/4 cup applesauce
1/4 cup oil
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup vital wheat gluten
2 tablespoons dough enhancer

Using the dough hook, combine water with 7 cups of wheat flour.  You should have a pancake batter consistency. Mix in yeast, salt, applesauce, oil, honey, and vital wheat gluten.  Turn machine to speed 1 and add additional flour until dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl.  Let knead 7-8 minutes then add dough enhancer.  Knead 2 minutes more (total 9-10 minutes).  Form loaves and fill greased loaf pans 2/3 full.  Press dough evenly into pans.  Cover with a flour-sack towel or plastic wrap to keep moist.  Let raise until doubled (about 2 inches above top of pan).  Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 30 minutes.

Step-By-Step

 I start off by freshly grinding white wheat into flour.

If you don't have a wheat grinder, you can use wheat flour bought from the store.

 Into mixer, add 6 cups warm water

to the water add 7 cups of flour

 until it reaches a pancake batter consistency.

 Now add yeast

 salt

applesauce (if you don't have applesauce you can substitute another 1/4 cup of oil)

 oil

 honey

 and vital wheat gluten

 It comes in a can like this.

 Once all those ingredients are incorporated, turn your mixer onto the lowest speed and slowly start adding flour, one cup at a time,

 until the dough pulls away from the side of the bowl, and the dough isn't too sticky.
Let the machine knead the dough for 7-8 minutes.

 Now add dough enhancer

 It too comes in a can -like this.  Continue kneading for 2 more minutes.

 Remove the dough from the bowl

 and divide and shape into loaves.  I know from previous experience that this recipe will fill 3 of my bread pans.

 Press dough evenly into loaf pans.

 Cover with a flour-sack towel or plastic wrap.  This keeps the dough from drying out.
Let raise until doubled, about 2 inches above the top of your pan.
Place in a 350 degree oven and bake 30 minutes or until nice and golden brown.

Sometimes your loaves will turn out perfectly, other times, they will look like this.  And that's OK too.  It all tastes the same.