WHOLE WHEAT BREAD

WHOLE WHEAT BREAD 

makes 2 standard loaves

1/3 cup honey

1/3 cup oil

2 1/2 cups warm water ( 110-120  degrees)

1 1/2 Tbsp Instant yeast

2 1/2 tsp salt

6-7 c. fresh milled whole wheat flour (room temp.)  approximately 5-6 cups wheat berries

1 1/2 Tbsp Dough Enhancer ( optional)

1/3 C Vital Wheat Gluten ( optional)

Combine the warm water, yeast, and 2 cups pf fresh wheat flour in a large mixing bowl.  Allow to sit and absorb the liquid, also known as sponging, for at least 15 min up to 45 minutes.  Then add the honey, oil, salt, dough enhancer, gluten , and 4-5 cups additional flour until the dough begins to clean the sides of the mixing bowl. Its okay for dough to be slightly tacky or sticky, don't add too much flour.  This is true whether you are mixing by hand with a wooden spoon or using a dough hook attachment with an electric mixer.  Knead by hand 7-10 min or with electric mixer until it reaches windowpane.  Take a small piece of dough and stretch it until you can see through it without it breaking.  When using a Bosch mixer this takes about 6 minutes of kneading on speed 1.  

Place dough in a greased bowl, cover with a damp towel and let rise until doubled.  Then form dough into 2 loaves and place in greased pans and let rise until doubled in size or about 1 inch higher than the rim of pan.

Bake for 25-30 minutes at 350*, until bread is 190 degrees internally.

Remove from pan and place on a cooling rack.  Brush with butter on all sides. 

When milling your wheat berries, any combination of hard white and hard red can be used or other ancient grains such as kamut or einkorn.