Honey (Whole) Wheat Bread

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.