Whole Wheat Bread Recipe & Tutorial

I’m finally getting my rear in gear and getting back to it, but blogging is still low on my list of priorities. I’d be getting a lot more done if I was better at typing one-handed. I keep getting distracted by this sweet morsel, and end up shutting down the computer again without having accomplished anything. There are seasons to our lives, and this is Baby Season.

Start by preheating your oven to 200 degrees.

Next, dissolve the yeast in the warm water:

Grind your wheat if you are using fresh-ground flour. I highly recommend doing this if at all possible. Fresh-ground flour is not only more delicious, but it also has significantly higher nutrient and vitamin content, making this recipe even more healthy!

Check out that purty flour…it smells amazing, too.

Add the oil (or butter), salt, eggs, and honey:

Dump in 12 cups of flour to start off with, and then slowly add more until the dough is stretchy and not too sticky.

It may take a little practice to know when your dough is just right. Try pinching up a bit and if it’s smooth and doesn’t leave sticky dough on your fingers, you’ll know you’ve got enough flour. It usually takes me at least 15-16 cups of flour.

Knead the dough for 8-10 minutes by hand or in your mixer (love my Bosch for this project!)

Turn the dough out onto the counter and form it into a pretty ball.

Grease a large bowl with spray oil or by pouring a small amount in the bottom:

Then you can plop your ball of dough into the bowl, turning it once to make sure all sides are greased so you won’t have any sticking when you take it out after rising.

Cover the dough with plastic wrap or a kitchen towel and then TURN OFF the preheated oven and place the bowl inside where it is now nice and warm.

After about an hour, the dough will have doubled in size and is ready to be made into loaves!

Punch it down to deflate (my girls love to take care of this step for me!)

Turn your dough back out onto the counter and grease four loaf pans with oil.

Divide the dough into four sections. I find it easiest to get uniform loaves when I cut it into equal portions with a big knife.

Shape each section into loaves, pinching the seams shut on the bottom side:

Place them into the loaf pans, seam side down.

Cover with a kitchen towel and let them rise on the counter for about 30 minutes, or until they have doubled in size.

About 20 minutes into their rising time, preheat the oven to 350 degrees so it’ll be ready to put the loaves in right away.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes:

Turn the loaves out of the pans immediately and place them on a cooling rack.

For a nice, shiny crust, brush (or smear!) with butter. My method makes a mess of a stick of butter, but it sure is quick and easy!

Allow to cool for at least 20 minutes (or as long as you can stand it before the intoxicating smell overcomes you,) before slicing.

Enjoy!

Linking up at:

Living Green Tuesday, Fat Tuesday, Open Call Tuesday, Frugal Tuesday Tip, Tempt My Tummy Tuesday

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Tagged as: bread, recipes, whole grains