i like bread, bread likes me

so soft. and it freezes well too!

i’ve done it! after much searching, consulting, and baking i’ve perfected my wheat bread recipe. and now i’m sharing it with you.

while we are on the subject of sharing i should let you know i only have two secret recipes: oatmeal cookies, and hamburgers. i will never post them here, or anywhere else. nor will i just give them away. moving on.

the bread is light, airy, and soft. there is no knead (get it?) to buy whole wheat bread at the store anymore.

honey whole wheat bread

1 tbsp instant yeast

1 c warm water (~98F)

1/3c warm milk (~98F)

1/4c honey

1/3c canola oil

3c whole wheat flour

1c ap flour

4 tbsp vital wheat gluten (this is the magic right here)

1 tsp salt

egg wash- 1 egg and 2 tsp water, beaten together

old fashioned oats

bloom the yeast in the warm milk and water for about 5 minutes, or until foamy. add the rest of the wet ingredients, then the dry, and mix with a strong spoon until dough leaves the sides of the bowl. i should mention that i don’t have a bread machine or stand mixer; i do everything by hand.

turn dough onto your work surface. now here is the hard part- DO NOT ADD MORE FLOUR! DON’T DO IT! look, i know you want to, the dough is sticky. just knead. and knead. and knead. it will come together. i promise.

place in a buttered bowl and cover with a towel. i usually place the bowl in a warm (100F) oven and let rise for 30 minutes. after the dough has doubled in size, punch down the dough and gently knead once more. the second kneading is very delicate. don’t let the dough touch the counter. just fold the dough into itself a few times.

heat the oven to 350F

shape the dough to fit into a buttered 9″ loaf pan. cover lightly with plastic wrap and let rise until the dough has crested about 1″ above the sides of the pan.

use a pastry brush to gently brush egg wash over top of dough. try not to get any egg down the sides of the pan or the bread will stick. sprinkle with oats. place pan in oven.

bake for 20 minutes. cover with foil and bake for another 20 minutes. remove form the oven let cool on a rack for about 5-10 minutes. remove bread from pan and let cool completely on rack.

store in a plastic bag.

for freezing, slice the loaf and place in a ziploc bag.