Honey Whole Wheat Bread

Honey Whole Wheat Bread

Abouts 16 slices per loaf.

This was a hit! Someone even compared it to Panera's whole grain baguette. It's a dense, grainy bread that tastes great slathered with butter.

Source: the back of the Gold Medal Whole Wheat Flour bag

1 pkg. regular active yeast

1/8 c. warm water (105-115 degrees)

1/4 c. honey

1/8 c. butter or margarine

1-1/2 t. salt

1-1/4 c. very warm water (120-130 degrees)

2-1/4 c. whole wheat flour

1-1/2 to 2 c. all-purpose flour

In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water; set aside. In large bowl, mix honey, butter, salt, and very warm water; cool 5 minutes.

To cooled honey mixture, beat in 1-1/2 c. of the whole wheat flour with an electric mixture on low speed, scraping bowl frequently, until moistened. Beat on medium speed 3 minutes, scraping bowl frequently. Beat in remaining 3/4 c. whole wheat flour and dissolved yeast. With spoon, stir in 1 to 1-1/2 c. of the all-purpose flour until dough pulls away from side of bowl.

Place dough on floured work surface. Knead in remaining 1/4-1/2 c. all-purpose flour; continue kneading 5-10 minutes until dough is smooth and springy. Grease large bowl with shortening or cooking spray; place dough in bowl, turning to grease all sides. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and cloth towel. Let rise in warm place (80-85 degrees) 30-45 minutes or until doubled in size.

Generously grease a regular-sized loaf pan with shortening or cooking spray. Gently push fist into dough to deflate. On lightly floured surface, roll dough with rolling pin into an 18x8-inch rectangle. Starting with one 8-inch side, roll up dough tightly, pressing with thumbs to seal after each turn. Pinch edge of dough into roll to seal; pinch each end to seal. Fold ends under loaf; place seam side down in pan. Cover; let rise in warm place 30-45 minutes or until doubled in size.

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Uncover dough; bake 20-25 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees; bake 5-10 minutes longer or until loaves sound hollow when lightly tapped. Immediately remove from pan to cooling rack. Cool completely; about 1 hour.

A Note From The Little Lady: I adjusted cooking times for one loaf. The original recipe is doubled and makes two loaves. For two loaves, double ingredients and increase baking times to 30 minutes at 375 degrees and 10-15 minutes at 350 degrees.