Monday, June 11, 2012

Mom's Whole Wheat Bread

*Single recipe; makes 3 loaves.

5 cups white flour
2 cups whole wheat flour
2 packages dry yeast
2 3/4 cups water
1 Tbs salt
4 Tbs (1/2 stick) butter OR margarine
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup molasses

  1. Place 3 1/2 cups white flour and yeast in a large mixing bowl.  Use electric mixer to mix, low.
  2. In a large saucepan on the stove, combine water, salt, butter, brown sugar, honey, and molasses.  Gradually heat until 115-120 degrees (warm, but NOT hot).  Use candy thermometer, or when place some on wrist, "warm, but not hot" --Mom.  *Visually, the butter will have melted into the liquid.
  3. Pour liquid into the flour mixture, and mix well (start low, and work way to 1 minute on medium).  
  4. Once well mixed, throw in wheat flour (AND 1/2 cup "dough enhancer" if you have it), and mix until well mixed throughout.
  5. Start adding the remaining flour and mix with electric mixer; once it is too tough to mix with mixer, stir, and then kneed in the rest of the flour, on a well-floured surface.  Kneed until it looks like "a good dough".
  6. Grease a big bowl, and flip dough ball inside, and coat the ball with the grease in the bowl (grease with butter wrapper).  Cover with light cloth, and set in a warm area to rise UNTIL IT DOUBLES (can take 1-2 hours; depends on the day/place).
  7. Once doubled, PUNCH DOWN into the dough (still in bowl), and then flip onto a floured surface.  Cut into 3 loaves (depending on pan size) on a cutting board.  Cover (right on the board) with a light cloth for 20 minutes.
  8. Meanwhile: grease bread pans well, and add dough to pans after 20 minutes.  You must shape each into a loaf of bread first, and grease down all the edges.
  9. Again, cover each with cloth and place in warm area.  Once it doubles, it is ready to bake.
  10. Bake at 375 degrees for about 30-50 minutes (until dark brown/depends on oven).  
  11. Take them out--loosen edges if necessary--and flip onto cooling wrack.  Butter over the top if you'd like, and then wait until completely cooled until bagging.

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