The Very Best Whole Wheat Bread Recipes

Steps:

• In a large bowl, mix warm water, yeast, and 1/3 cup honey. Add 5 cups white bread flour, and stir to combine. Let set for 30 minutes, or until big and bubbly.
• Mix in 3 tablespoons melted butter, 1/3 cup honey, and salt. Stir in 2 cups whole wheat flour. Flour a flat surface and knead with whole wheat flour until not real sticky - just pulling away from the counter, but still sticky to touch. This may take an additional 2 to 4 cups of whole wheat flour. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to coat the surface of the dough. Cover with a dishtowel. Let rise in a warm place until doubled.
• Punch down, and divide into 3 loaves. Place in greased 9 x 5 inch loaf pans, and allow to rise until dough has topped the pans by one inch.
• Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 25 to 30 minutes; do not overbake. Lightly brush the tops of loaves with 2 tablespoons melted butter or margarine when done to prevent crust from getting hard. Cool completely.

Steps:

• Combine water and butter in a bread machine pan. Add, respectively, the whole wheat flour, bread flour, salt, sugar, and potato flakes; top with yeast, assuring yeast and salt do not mix.
• Select Whole Wheat cycle; press Start.
• Remove loaf from pan to a wire rack to cool.

Steps:

• Add ingredients in the order listed to bowl of Kitchen Aid or other heavy duty mixer.
• Using a dough hook, mix well and add more flour if needed so that the dough cleans the sides of the bowl (dough should be slightly tacky).
• Knead for 10 minutes.
• Shape into 3 loaves. Add dough to sprayed loaf pans.
• Cover with tented plastic or cloth and let rise for about 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 400 for the last half hour of rising. It is ready to go in the oven when the dough has risen just above the top of pan.
• Turn oven down to 350 and bake for 25 to 30 minutes.

Steps:

• Mix water, yeast, oil, honey, and molasses.
• While yeast is proofing (if not instant), grind flour.
• I start adding 10 cups flour, salt, dough enhancer, and wheat gluten, while yeast is proofing (no wait necessary if using instant yeast). Mix until even consistency.
• Add remaining flour minus about 2 cups.
• Mix until the consistency is some what even. Then continue to slowly add flour 1/2 Cup at a time until the dough quits sticking to the sides of the bowl. It should be tacky to the touch. The trick is to have enough consistency to stand up with the least amount of flour so the bread will be fluffy. It will most likely be around 15 cups (I believe it may be less if you are in a lower altitude area). If the dough mixture isn't "cleaning" the sides of the mixer, it is too wet. I sometimes add up to one additional cup -- I think altitude and humidity influence how much is needed, as well as how packed the flour is (if I get my mill full and "packed" the recipe takes less flour -- hence the need to add a l/2 cup at the end of the ingredient addition process.
• Mix on medium speed 5-7 minutes in Bosch or other heavy duty mixer.
• Put dough in a greased bowl to rise for 30 minutes (will get about about double in size).
• Shape loaves and put into 4 greased loaf pans, let rise another 30 minutes (I use a kitchen scale and my loaves are very close to 2 pounds each).
• Put loaves in preheated 350 degree oven and bake 36 minutes.
• I let it cool in the pans for about 10 minutes, then 20 minutes on a rack.
• I wrap in plastic wrap then store in a bread bag. We eat a lot of bread (toast for breakfast, sandwiches for lunch -- family of 6) so I am able to keep a couple of loaves out and a couple in the freezer. It's gone in a week. Enjoy!