Fantastic Bread Recipe!

I love to make my own bread.  Sure it takes time, but it is soooo good and it makes me feel like I am doing something good for my family.  There is just something about grinding my own wheat and turning it into something that my kids beg me for that is so fulfilling!

I thought I'd share the recipe.  If you scroll to the bottom, it tells you how much you need to store to be able to make this bread for an entire year.  So handy when trying to plan out your food storage!  Also, a friend of mine converted the recipe to make 2 5" x 9" loaves.  If you want the conversion email me and I'll send it to you.  pumpkinpatchdesigns at hotmail dot com.

I don't know where it came from.  A friend passed it along to me.  I have tried to find an author, but no luck.  So, if you know who created it tell me and I will give them full credit.  Until then, thank you person I don't know...

Easiest Whole Wheat Bread

2 (8"x4") loaves

3 1/2 cups Whole Wheat flour

1/3 cup gluten

1 1/4 Tbsp instant yeast
2 1/2 cups steaming hot tap water (120-130 F)
1 Tbsp salt
1/3 cup oil
1/3 cup honey or 1/2 cup sugar
1 1/4 Tbsp bottled lemon juice
2 1/2 cup whole wheat flour

Mix together first three ingredients with a dough hook.  Add water all at once and mix for 1 minute; cover and let rest for 10 minutes.  (this will not mix it completely...that's okay)  Add salt, oil, honey or sugar, and lemon juice and beat for one minute.  Add rest of flour, 1 cup at a time, beating between each cup.  Once the flour is mixed in, beat for about 6-10 more minutes.  Until dough pulls away from sides of the bowl and dough "bounces back" a little when you touch it.  This makes very soft dough.  Pre-heat oven to 350 for 1 minute and turn off.  Turn dough onto oiled counter top; divide, shape into loaves and place in oiled bread pans.  Let rise in warm oven for 10-15 minutes (I do it for 15) until dough reaches top of pan.  Do not remove bread from oven; turn oven to 350 F and bake for 30 minutes.  Remove from pans and cool on wire racks.  If you do not have a mixer with a dough hook and are kneading this by hand, gradually add last cup of flour to keep dough from sticking to counter.  You will add more flour when kneading by hand than when using a mixer simply to be able to handle this moist dough.  With wheat bread, always add the least amount of flour possible to keep bread moist.  Knead 10 minutes before shaping into loaves.

**lemon juice in this recipe acts as a dough enhancer which gives bread a fine, light texture.  Gluten, a natural protein derived from wheat, provides elasticity and strength and added texture, helps retain moisture, prevents crumbling, and extends the shelf life of the bread.  If you do not want to store gluten flour, you may substitute whole wheat flour in it's place.  I buy my gluten from here.

**1/4 Tbsp is = to 3/4 tsp.

** To make a 2 loaf recipe of this bread every other day for 1 year (1 loaf per day), you will need 275 lbs of wheat ground into flour, 4 gallons of oil, 46 lbs of honey or sugar, 8 (1 lb) pkgs yeast, 61 cups of gluten flour, 3 2/3 qts. of lemon juice and 7.3 lbs of salt.