You Can't Beat This for a FABULOUS Whole Wheat Bread!!!

This recipe uses gluten and dough enhancer, these are truly the keys to light, fluffy, whole wheat bread. You really can't beat this bread recipe. You can find gluten and dough enhancer at most health food stores. I'll be posting soon about what gluten is and why it has such an important function in the bread-making process.

Delicious Honey Whole Wheat Bread

6 cups water
1 ¼ C honey
¼ C vegetable oil
1 T salt
2 T dough enhancer
2 T ground flax seed (optional)
3 T gluten
15-17 C whole wheat flour
2 T yeast

Pour water and honey into mixer and add vegetable oil and salt. Add dough enhancer, gluten, ground flax and 14 C whole wheat flour. Add yeast on top of the flour and then add one more cup of whole wheat flour to cover the yeast. Mix and add flour until dough is not sticky and no longer sticking to the bowl. Knead for 12 minutes. Turn dough onto counter and roll into 5-6 loaves of bread. Let rise for about an hour. Don't let it get over 1 inch over your bread pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes. This bread is great for the whole family and my kids LOVE it!

You can easily half this recipe to make just 2-3 loaves of bread, if your mixer is smaller. This bread also freezes EXTREMELY well. I freeze it in a freezer bag every time I make it and get it out the night before I need more bread and slice it up and it tastes freshly baked!

Half Batch Recipe
3 C water
½ C + 2 T honey
2 T oil
1 ½ tsp salt
1 T dough enhancer
1 T flax (optional)
1 ½ T gluten
7 – 9 C whole wheat flour
1 T yeast

This recipe makes 2 large loaves or 3 medium loaves. If you choose to make the 2 large loaves,
you can do one of two things:
(1)increase the baking time to about 35 minutes, checking to make sure it doesn't get too brown after 25-30 minutes. If bread is starting to get too brown, move bread to lowest rack in the oven for the last 5-10 minutes.
(2)decrease the rising time to about 40 minutes or so. It will be slightly denser, but still good!

Note: I like to add flax, but this is easily left out. You can incorporate 2-3 T ground flour from most grains to add more healthy benefits!

Here is a variation my family loves:

Cinnamon-Spice Swirl Bread (pictured above)

Delicious Honey Whole Wheat Bread dough
3 T sugar
2 tsp cinnamon

Prepare Delicious Honey Whole Wheat Bread dough. After kneading, divide dough into the appropriate number of balls (5-6 if using the whole recipe, 2-3 if using the half-batch recipe). Roll each dough ball into a rectangle (the length of the rectangle should be double the width of the rectangle) until about ¾ in. thick. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar mixture, using the back of a spoon to press lightly into the dough. Roll up width-wise and seal edges. Put in greased bread pan and let rise for about an hour. Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes. If using half-batch recipe, and making 2 large loaves, bake for 35 minutes, checking after 25 minutes and moving to a lower rack for the last 10 minutes if bread is browning too quickly.

Serve with raspberry or honey butter.


Note: If your sugar won't stick to the bread lightly spray bread surface with a water bottle...just enough to get the cinnamon to stick, not TOO much or it will be gooey! (I don't add water, but sometimes it helps)