Honey Whole Wheat Bread

This bread has it all. It is 100% whole wheat, which pleases me, and it has a taste and texture that pleases the rest of my family (as well as other friends who are kind enough to test all of my cooking). The ingredients are simple. It makes 3 two pound loaves. It freezes well and makes good sandwiches and toast.

The recipe is designed for a Kitchen Aid or Bosch mixer. I have had the best results using Wheat Montana's hard white whole wheat flour.

Ingredients:

• 2 Tbs yeast
• 4 C lukewarm water
• 1/3 C honey
• 9 C whole wheat flour (1 cup of flour can be replaced by a combination of any ground grains or seeds).
• 2 T gluten
• 2 T vinegar
• 3 tsp salt

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325 and spray 3 loaf pans.
2. Combine the following ingredients in the mixing bowl. Mix for 1 minute, cover and let sit for 10 minutes:
• water
• yeast
• 3 cups of flour
• gluten
• vinegar
3. Add honey, salt, and remaining 6 cups of flour and mix with the dough hook for about 5 minutes.
4. The dough should clean the sides of the bowl and be smooth and only slightly tacky when it has the right amount of flour.
5. On a lightly floured surface, knead out any bubbles, shape and place in 3 greased loaf pans (2lb. loafs). 
6. Let rise about 30-45 minutes, depending on the temperature of the house. The dough should be just higher than the top loaf pan. It will continue to rise in the oven.
7. Bake at 325 degrees for 30 minutes. Remove bread from oven.
8. Cool in pans for 10 minutes, then remove loaf and cool completely on a cooling rack.