Easy Homemade Wheat Bread

For a while now (about 6 years) I have been making Bread for my family each week. I go through phases.  Summer is hard due to the heat.  I usually make it on Sunday’s and it lasts us the week.  I make 4 loaves. Through trial and error I have finally found the best recipe.   I grind the wheat in my sweet little grinder and mix the dough in my Mix & Blend from Blendtec.  Roll it out onto my counter. Divide it into 4 loaves and bake. If you have ever considered making your own bread and were scared this is the recipe for you.  I think of the 100+ times I have made it I only failed once.  I forgot the salt. Bad, very bad Mistake.  No flavor. This bread takes about 90 minutes to make start to finish.  And during those 90 minutes you really only stand at the counter about 20.  I do laundry or the dishes as I make it.

Now this is not to say I don’t buy bread.  There are those times when it just isn’t going to happen.  But I really try.  It is healthier for my family.  And less expensive in the long run.   And delicious.

I have a neighbor who has been baking bread for her family for years. She told her husband if she got the equipment to make it she would never buy another loaf and she hasn’t. Bless her soul.  When I moved into the neighborhood she asked for my recipe and uses it all the time now.

This recipe is so simple and easy to make. The bread makes and amazing gift to a new neighbor, a new mom and My favorite is a loaf of bread with jam for Christmas.  Everyone loves a fresh loaf of warm bread!
So this is the recipe.

Homemade Wheat Bread

For 4 loaves (8×4)

7 C. Whole Wheat Flour
2/3 C. Vital Wheat Gluten Flour
2 1/2 T. Instant Yeast
5 C. Steaming Hot Water (about 105*)

2 T. Salt
2/3 C. Oil
2/3 C. Honey or 1 C. Sugar
2 1/2 T. Lemon Juice*
5 C. Whole Wheat Flour

*Lemon juice helps with the elasticity and is used to replace dough enhancer.

Mix together the first 3 ingredients in Mix & Blend Mixer. Add water all at once and mix for 1 minute. Cover for 10 minutes and let sit. This is called sponging.  I like to let mine sit for about 10 minutes or so.  It gives the yeast time to activate.
Add the next 4 ingredients while mixing.  Once they are all mixed start adding the rest of the flour 1 cup at a time.
Depending on the day you may need a little more or less flour. A more humid day will require a little more flour.
Stop adding flour when the dough pulls away from the walls of the bowl. Your dough will be sticky but not
to sticky. If you have an auto knead function Like the Mix & Blend used it now.  If you don’t knead you dough for 10-12 minutes by hand.
Divide your dough into 4 equal parts. Roll the dough and get any air bubble out of the dough. Roll into a log shape the length of your bread pans. Put onto a greased bread pan. Spray the tops with a little cooking spray. Repeat for the other 3 loaves.

I like to turn on my oven for 5 minutes or so to warm it up. Turn it off. Place all loaves in a warm oven for 25 minutes. Without removing bread, turn oven onto 350* for 25 more minutes.

Pull your bread out of the oven and remove bread from the pans onto a cooling rack.  Spray loaves with a bottle of water.  This helps to keep the moisture in and the heat out.  Give your bread 10 or so minutes to cool and enjoy!

Here are a few more Baking Tips for making Whole Wheat Bread.