Whole Wheat Bread

I have been engaged in a rather distasteful task the last two days. It has kept me so busy that I am nigh onto exhaustion. The task? Cleaning out cupboards, drawers, closets, and the thing I am going to do tomorrow, re-arrange the linen closet. I don't know where all the throw blankets came from. I am sure that all of you have had to do these things at one time or another. I still haven't figured out where all the stuff comes from that keeps getting put into places that are already too full to hold it. I am trying desperataely to weed out the stuff that I don't really need to keep. What to do with it? It's either too good to throw away, or I hate to donate it because it has been in my family for years. There are just too many reasons why I hate to get rid things. Oh well, I will at least try to make a dent in it.

Trying to figure out which bread recipe to do this time (I still have the white bread to do) has kept my mind occupied as I was sitting in my chair relaxing and promising myself that I would do this post in the morning. But, I do my best physical work in the morning so I decided to do it tonight so that I can get an early start tomorrow. Here goes:

100% Whole Wheat Bread: This recipe makes four loaves, you may want to cut it in half

14 cups whole wheat flour
6 1/2 cups luke warm water
1 Tablespoon salt
3/4 cups honey (If it is solid, it will need to be melted.)
1/2 cup oil
2 eggs, slightly beaten
2 packages yeast and one teaspoon sugar dissolved in 1/2 cup warm water

1. Get out all the ingredients to be sure nothing is left out.
2. Prepare a warm place for the dough during resting and raising periods.
3. Put the 6 1/2 cups of luke warm water in large mixing bowl. Add salt, honey, eggs, oil
and yeast solution, then stir well.
4. Add 6 cups whole wheat flour, stir and let rest 10 minutes in a warm place.
5. Stir well again. Use big spoon or one blade on mix master. Let rest in warm place until
many bubbles appear. 30 to 45 min.
6. Stir in 8 more cups of whole wheat flour, one at a time.
7. Grease top of dough and sides of mixing bowl and let raise double in warm place. 45 to 60
min.
8. Stir down and let raise double again. 30 to 40 min.
9. Stir down and put on floured board. Knead very slightly with hands greased with peanut or
mazola oil.
10.Cut and mold into 4 loaves and place in greased pans. Rub oil on top of loaf*
11.Set oven to 400 degrees while bread raises 10 min by the clock.
12.Put bread in oven. Bake 15 min at 400 degrees, then turn oven down to 350 degrees and
continue baking for 45 more minutes. (Total baking time one hour)
13 Take bread out of oven and remove from pans to cool on racks.


* Note: I always prepare pans by first greasing with crisco and then coating well on all sides
with oil, then when I put loaves into pans, I put them in upside down then turn right side
up which coats the tops with oil.

If you are using a bread maker like a Kitchen Aid, after the liquids are in the bowl, you don't need to hand stir it, just put the dough hook on first setting until mixed well, then turn to the knead setting, which is the second setting on my mixer and then just follow instructions as they come.

I hope that at least one of you tries this as it is delicious and really healthy. Be sure to let me know how it turns out, okay?