Honey Whole Wheat Bread

Honey Whole Wheat Bread

2 ¼ cups very warm water (120° to 130°)  [4 ½ cups ]

3 cups whole wheat flour [ 6 cups ]

1/3 cup honey [ 2/3 cup ]

¼ cup shortening [ ½ cup ]

1 Tablespoon salt [ 2 Tb. ]

1-1/2 Tablespoons yeast [ 3 Tb. ]

3 to 4 cups white flour [6-8 cups]

Pour the very warm water into the bowl of your electric mixer (make sure you are using your dough hook attachment).  Add the whole-wheat flour, honey, shortening, salt, and yeast into the bowl.  Beat on low speed 1 minute, scraping bowl frequently.  Beat on medium speed 1 minute, scraping bowl frequently.  Stir in enough white flour, 1 cup at a time, to make dough easy to handle.  

At this point either turn dough onto a floured surface and knead by hand for 10 minutes or keep it in your heavy duty mixer and knead for 10 minutes.  Place the dough in a greased bowl, cover with a clean cloth, and let rise until double.  

Grease 2 loaf pans.  Punch down dough and divide in half.  Shape dough into 2 loaves.  Place in greased pans and let rise until double.  Heat oven to 375°.  Bake 40 to 45 minutes.  Cool on wire rack.  

Tiffany's Notes: This recipe comes from the 1991 edition of the Betty Crocker’s Cookbook.  The half whole wheat flour and half white flour makes the consistency really soft and yummy.  I love it for cinnamon toast.  This is also a good non-dairy, non-egg recipe for my son who is allergic to dairy and eggs.

As you've most likely figured out by now the numbers in [brackets] give the amounts for a double batch--4 loaves of bread.  If you are lucky enough to have a large heavy duty mixer you can make the entire recipe in the mixer.  If you don't then you can do all of the mixing with a lighter duty mixer or even a hand mixer with dough hooks--then you can get a little exercise by hand kneading the dough. :)