Honey Whole Wheat Bread
This honey whole wheat bread is made with 100% whole wheat flour to pack in extra fiber and improved nutrition! The loaves stay nice and soft even days later, but this bread is perfect toasted and smeared with some butter!
Equipment
- cooking thermometer
- 9x5 inch loaf pans
- parchment paper
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups milk, (2% or whole recommended)
- 2 envelopes (4-½ teaspoons) active dry yeast
- ½ cup water (105-110° F)
- 2 ¼ teaspoons salt
- ¼ cup honey
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- 4 - 4 ½ cups whole wheat flour
Instructions
- Heat the milk over medium heat until a thermometer reads 130° F. Remove from heat and allow the milk to cool to 100° F, or approximately 20 minutes.
- Put the yeast in ½ cup warm water (105-110° F) and stir. The temperature of the water is very important because the water must be hot enough to activate the yeast. If it is too hot, it will kill the yeast. Let sit for approximately 5 minutes or until foamy.
- In a large mixing bowl, add the cooled milk, yeast mixture, salt, honey, and vegetable oil. Stir to combine.
- Add 3 cups of whole wheat flour and stir until it begins to form a thick dough. Keep adding the remaining 1 - 1-½ cups of whole wheat flour until the dough forms a soft dough.
- On a lightly floured surface, knead the dough until elastic and firm. This step will take about 8 minutes.
- Lightly grease the large bowl with cooking spray or vegetable shortening and cover dough with a tea towel. Set in a warm place to rise for about 1 hour or until doubled in size.
- Punch down the dough and divide the dough in half. Shape into uniform loaves. Place the dough into two 9x5 inch loaf pans that have been generously greased or lined with parchment paper. Set the loaves aside to proof for another hour, or until doubled in size before baking.
- Once the loaves have risen, preheat the oven to 375° F. Base for 20 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 350° F and continue baking for another 10 minutes or until the center of the bread registers 190° F with a cooking thermometer. Let cool completely before slicing.