Amy-Proof Whole Wheat Bread

There is nothing quite like the taste of home made bread.  Warm, thick, and buttery.  It is probably at the top of my favorite things list.  And the wonderful perfume that it gives to the house while baking it just ads to the delight.

I have been on a crusade for a while to find a good whole wheat bread recipe.  Not one that uses half whole wheat and half white.  I don't want even a cup of white flour in my bread.  I am choosy like that.  Along the lines of being choosy, store bought bread is packed full of things that aren't good for the body (hello, HFCS) and other ingredients that I have never even heard of.  Why would I put something I don't even recognize into my body when I have a choice?  Okay, I do it all the time, but if I can avoid it easily, I do.

That said, this recipe has stopped my search for that perfect home made bread.  I found it on my sister's blog, and am so happy that she shared it with me.  She got it from a wheat grinder recipe, I think.  I love it when appliances share wonderful recipes.

I call it Amy-Proof, because I am a master at ruining bread.  I somehow always manage to kill it in just the right way.  I don't know how, but I do it.  But not with this bread, it is so easy, and so delicious.  And it makes a ton, so I take out two loaves and freeze the rest until we need it again.  It lasts about a week.

Ingredients:

• 5 1/2 cups warm water
• 2 TBSP dry yeast
• 2 TBSP salt
• 2/3 cup oil
• 2/3 cup honey
• 8 cups whole wheat flour

Combine 5 ½ cups warm water, yeast, salt, oil, and honey in Bosch or large mixer bowl. Let stand 5 -10 minutes to activate yeast.

While yeast proofs, using a wheat grinder, mill 8 cups whole kernel wheat to yield 12 cups of whole-wheat flour.  (The wheat will be warm, and perfect for the yeast if ground at this point). 

Add 8 cups of whole-wheat flour to mixing bowl. If using a Bosch, use the ‘spring-loaded’ position (turning to the left instead of the right) button the switch first to blend the ingredients, or mix on low speed until well blended.

Add 3 – 4 cups more flour, 1 cup at a time until the dough begins to pull away from the side of the bowl. (The amount of flour required will vary according to the moisture and protein content of the wheat and your atmosphere/altitude etc. The stickier the dough, the moister the bread, but it should clean the sides of the mixing bowl).   Knead dough on low speed for 10 minutes.

Oil hands and working surface. Remove dough from mixing bowl and with oiled hands, spread into a large rectangle.  Divide into 5 equal portions.  Starting at one end, begin rolling each section, one at a time, into an oblong shape.  Pinch the ends together and turn underneath.  Place in oiled, metal 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 x 2 5/8" bread pans (this size seems to work the best, and metal works better than glass).  If desired, oil the top of the loaves for a soft crust.  Cover with a damp cloth, away from drafts, and let rise 1/3 in bulk, or approx. 35 minutes.  

Bake at 425* for 8 minutes, then reduce oven temperature to 350* for the remainder of the baking period (27 to 32 minutes). Remove from pans when done, and allow to cool on baking racks. Brush tops with butter or oil immediately.  

Notes from my sister:

*I specifically use a Bosch mixer with this recipe.  I've tried it with a Kitchenaid mixer, without the same results.  My guess is that it relates to the Bosch's cover retaining the heat perhaps?  

**Because this bread doesn't have any preservatives it can spoil quickly.  I cut mine into half loaves, wrap in plastic, then place in a large ziplock in the freezer.  For a quick defrost, I remove it from the ziplock, and place it in the microwave (still in the plastic) for 1.5 minutes.  This sort of steams it, and it comes out just as if it were fresh from the oven. 

In my family, we don't have much of a problem of bread going bad.  It is consumed fairly quickly after being eaten, but just as a precaution, I don put 3 loaves in the freezer and pull them out the morning I plan to use it.  It usually defrosts on its own in about 2 hours.