Honey Wheat Bread

Wowza! This bread is awesome! I have made homemade bread many times, and it has always turned out well, but I think this bread is in a class of its own. I chose this recipe after reading many reviews that talked about how this bread was much lighter and softer than many homemade breads, which often turn out rather dense. I completely agree! I made this to put in Amanda’s housewarming basket, and since the recipe yields two loaves I kept one for us. I have eaten it with every meal since

This recipe is from Allrecipes and my only change is that I used melted butter instead of shortening. This is a very well written recipe - clear and easy to follow. I used my beautiful KitchenAid Mixer to do most of the work so it was a breeze.

Honey Wheat Bread
Ingredients:
1 (.25 oz) pkg. rapid rise yeast
1 tsp. white sugar
½ cup warm water (110° F/45° C)
1 (12 fl. oz.) can evaporated milk
¼ cup water
¼ cup melted butter
¼ cup honey
2 tsp. salt
2 cups whole wheat flour
3 cups bread flour
2 tbsp. butter

Directions:
Dissolve yeast and sugar in ½ cup warm water.

Combine milk, ¼ cup water, melted butter, honey, salt and wheat flour in food processor or bowl. Mix in yeast mixture, and let rest 15 minutes. Add white flour and process until the dough forms a ball. Knead dough by processing an additional 80 seconds or mix and knead by hand 10 minutes. Place the dough in a buttered bowl, and turn to coat. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Let dough rise for 45 minutes, or until almost doubled.

Punch down, and divide dough in half. Roll out each half, and pound out the bubbles. Form into loaves, and place in buttered 9×5” loaf pans. Butter the tops of the dough, and cover loosely with plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm area until doubled; second rise should take about 30 minutes.

Place a small pan of water on the bottom shelf of the oven. Preheat the oven to 375° F.

Bake for 25-35 minutes, or until tops are dark golden brown. Butter crusts while warm. Slice when cool.