Homemade bread is one of my favorite foods...especially hot out of the oven with butter and honey. All of the credit for this recipe goes to the mother of a college friend. It is absolutely delicious! I generally do half or three-quarters of the recipe (3 or 4 loaves). It makes THE BEST grilled cheese sandwiches.
Honey Whole Wheat Bread (from the kitchen of Joyce Taron)
YIELD: 6 loaves
This recipe requires a large capacity mixer equipped with a dough hook.
Combine the following ingredients in the mixer bowl, using the dough hook attachment:
11 cups freshly ground whole wheat flour
3 cups rolled oats
½ cup gluten flour (optional, but this helps the dough to be more elastic and rise better)
2 tablespoons dry yeast
2 tablespoons salt
Add liquids:
½ cup vegetable oil (I use extra virgin olive oil)
½ cup honey
2 tablespoons lemon juice
9 cups hot (but not too hot) tap water
Mix for 3 minutes. Let sponge for 10 minutes. Add, 1 cup at a time:
10 cups white flour (or whole wheat, for a delicious but heavier bread)
Knead by machine 5 minutes. Cover the bowl of dough with a dish towel and let rise until doubled. Stir the dough down and shape into 6 loaves. Place in greased bread pans and let rise until almost doubled. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes. Turn loaves out of pans to cool on rack.
NOTE FROM JOYCE: This is a genuine Taron family recipe. Rick and I developed this recipe about 20 years ago, experimenting with other favorite recipes, until we came up with a whole wheat bread that isn’t crumbly. It makes great sandwiches, and even better toast.
