Family Wheat Bread

We finally used up all of our bread from last month, so had another bread making day. This time we went with honey whole wheat. I let all three kids join me on this one so they could each make their own little baked goodies.



I love this recipe I received from a friend of a friend a few years back.


Family Wheat Bread

5 1/2 C. warm water
2 T. dry yeast
1 tsp. sugar
1/4 C. oil
3/4 C. honey
2 T. salt
11-15 C. whole wheat flour
*You'll also need a Bosch mixer or equivalent*

Place 1/2 C. warm water, 2 T. yeast and 1 tsp. sugar in mixer. While that is softening, fine grind 10 cups of whole wheat. (This is the wheat grinder my mother-in-law gave me a few years ago, and I LOVE it... smaller and lighter than most you can find.) Add 5 more cups warm water, oil, honey, salt and 6 cups of the freshly ground flour to the yeast mixture. Using your bread hook, knead for 5 minutes.

While the machine is still mixing, add 6-10 cups more flour until the dough cleans the sides of the bowl. Let the mixer knead the dough for 10 more minutes. Pour dough onto an oiled surface (with wheat bread I use oil, with white bread, flour).


I pulled off a piece for each of the kids to work with.


It's fun to see their creations.

Form into 5 loaves and place in bread pans sprayed with nonstick spray. Turn oven to warm. When heated, turn oven off. Place pans in oven, shut door, and set timer for 30 minutes.



When 30 minutes is up, turn the oven on to 350 degrees and bake for 25-30 minutes.



Turn the loaves out onto a cooling rack and brush the tops with butter. Then enjoy! Once they're cool I cut them into thin slices, put them in bread bags and freeze them. Then whenever we need another loaf of bread I can take one out and stick it in the fridge.


John enjoyed his little goodies that he had rolled in butter then cinnamon sugar... nothing like turning something healthy into something unhealthy, right?


And Dan enjoyed eating his "bones," as he called them.