I finally did it!!

After almost six years of marriage and dozens of failed bread attempts, I finally made a decent loaf of bread. Some of you may not consider this a very big deal, but for me it is. I have had such a hard time making bread, that I told Darin
if this batch didn't turn out, I would never try again. Sometimes I couldn't even make bread in my bread machine. It was soooo yummy. Below is the recipe that I used. This recipe is for 100% whole wheat bread. You know those wheat kernels you have in your food storage that you have no idea what to do with. Get a wheat grinder and make some bread using this recipe. Yum!

Ingredients

6 cups warm water
2/3 cup oil
2/3 cup honey
8 cups freshly milled whole wheat flour (more flour needed later)
2 Tbsp. wheat gluten
2 Tbsp. salt
3 Tbsp. instant yeast
4-8 additional cups of whole wheat flour
*The amount of additional flour you will add will depend on the protein levels and moisture in your wheat.

Instructions

In your Bosch or Kitchen Aid mixer bowl, combine warm water, oil, and honey. Next add 8 cups of freshly ground wheat flour. On top of the four, add wheat gluten, salt, and yeast. "Jog" your mixer off and on so the flour won't rise out of your mixing bowl, then mix on your first speed until smooth. Next, slowly add an additional 3-4 cups of wheat flour, stopping periodically to test it Remove bread dough from the mixer and place dough in a large plastic bowl. Knead dough and slowly add 1-4 more cups of wheat flour until the dough is the right texture. The dough should not stick to your fingers. Do not add too much flour or knead the dough too long, the dough will become too tough. Form dough into 5 dough logs. Spray 5 loaf pans with cooking spray and place one dough log into each loaf pan. Prep. your oven by turning your oven to the "warm" setting, boil some water and place the boiling water on the very bottom rack of your oven. Turn your oven off once the oven is warm and place your bread loaves in the oven to rise for 30 minutes to 1 1/2 hours. You may need to replace the water every 30 minutes to keep your oven humid for best bread rising conditions. Once your bread has risen to your satisfaction, turn your oven to 350 and set the timer for 45 minutes. Start the timer from when you turn the heat on, not from when the oven gets warm. Bake times may vary slightly depending on the oven. This bread is delicious and surprisingly light for an all whole wheat recipe.