Whole Wheat Bread

Total Time: 3 hrs 10 mins Preparation Time: 2 hrs 30 mins Cook Time: 40 mins

Ingredients

• 4 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
• 3/4 cup warm water
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 1/2 cups warm water
• 4 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup vital wheat gluten
• 2 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1/3 cup honey
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1 large egg
• 1 tablespoon water

Recipe

• 1 add 4 1/2 tsp yeast to 3/4 cup water.
• 2 add 1 cup of whole wheat flour and mix vigorously.
• 3 cover bowl with plastic and let sit for 45 minutes to proof.
• 4 when sponge is ready, uncover bowl and add the 1 1/2 cups of warm water and 2 cups of whole wheat flour . stir in very well.
• 5 now add the 1/2 cup vital wheat gluten, 2 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil, 1/3 cup honey and 1 tablespoon salt. mix these in well. now start adding the remaining flour about 1/2 cup at a time. (i use my kitchenaid for this).
• 6 knead dough in mixer for 10 minutes or 20-30 minutes by hand. take a break half-way through if you're hand kneading and let dough rest for 10 minutes.
• 7 place dough into large greased bowl (preferably not metal) and cover with plastic. leave the dough to rise in a warm place for 1 to 1 1/2 hours until it doubles in size.
• 8 punch dough down, divide dough, and reshape into loaves. place into greased 9x5 bread pans, cover with plastic and allow to rise again.
• 9 preheat oven to 350°f.
• 10 make egg wash by whisking egg and water together in small bowl.
• 11 brush egg wash over tops of loaves and then place in the oven to bake for 40 minutes.
• 12 to test for doneness, pull the loaf out of the pan and tap the bottom with a wooden handle. it should have a hollow sound.
• 13 cool these for at least an hour before slicing. if you don't wait that long the structure of the bread will not support a knife and will mush down and stay permanently mushed when you're done mangling it. try to be patient.