Rustico Honey Whole Wheat Bread Recipes

Steps:

• Place the lukewarm water in a small bowl and sprinkle the yeast over the surface. Let it sit for 5 minutes.
• Meanwhile, combine the hot water, honey, shortening and salt in a large bowl, stirring until the honey and shortening have melted. Let cool until lukewarm, then add the yeast mixture, 1 1/2 cups of the whole-wheat flour and 1 cup of the sifted unbleached all-purposevflour; beat until well combined.
• Add the remaining cup of sifted flour and enough of the remaining whole-wheat flour to make a moderately stiff dough.
• Generously flour a work surface; turn the dough out onto it and knead for about 10 minutes or until the dough is very smooth and elastic.
• Transfer the dough to a well-greased bowl, turn once and let it stand, covered, in a warm place away from drafts for 1 to 1/2 hours (depending on how warm your kitchen is) or until doubled in bulk. Punch down the dough.
• Use a little shortening to grease a large bowl, then transfer the dough to it. Cover and let stand in a warm place away from drafts for 1 1/2 hours, or until the dough has doubled in bulk.
• Punch down the dough and turn it out onto a newly floured surface; form into a ball. Cover and let the dough rest for 10 minutes.
• Use oil or butter to generously grease a standard-size loaf pan.
• Shape the dough into a loaf and place it in the prepared loaf pan. Cover and let it rest for 30 to 45 minutes, until doubled in bulk.
• When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
• Bake the loaf for 35 to 45 minutes (start checking after 35 minutes) or until golden brown; it should sound hollow when tapped.
• Remove the loaf from the pan and place it on a wire rack to cool almost completely before serving.

Steps:

• In a small bowl, stir honey into warm water, then sprinkle with yeast. Let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes.
• Stir together flour and salt in a medium bowl, then stir in yeast mixture and melted butter just until a dough forms. Knead on a lightly floured surface until smooth, 5 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a large buttered bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let rise in a warm spot until doubled in bulk, about 45 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Punch down dough. Shape into an 8-inch square, about 1 inch thick. Fold in two opposite sides of dough to meet in middle, slightly overlapping. Press seam to seal. Place dough, seam-side down, in a buttered 9-by-5-inch loaf pan. Sprinkle with flour. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in warm spot until dough is about 3/4 inch above top of pan, 30 to 45 minutes.
• Transfer pan to oven and immediately reduce heat to 350 degrees. Bake, rotating pan halfway through, until top is golden brown and bottom sounds hollow when tapped, 35 to 40 minutes. Let cool in pan on wire rack 20 minutes, then turn out bread onto rack and let cool completely. Bread can be stored, tightly wrapped, at room temperature up to 3 days or frozen up to 3 months.