Honey Whole Wheat Bread

You’ll need a flat clean work surface and a large loaf pan (9×5), and, of course, an oven!

Start off by putting the yeast in a large bowl.

Measure out 1 1/2 cups of water and heat it up to 110˚-115˚. (I heated mine in the microwave for about 25 seconds. This can take time to get the temperature right, but it’s really important.)

Pour it into the yeast that’s waiting patiently in the bowl. Add 1/4 cup of honey and give it a stir! Let it sit for 5-10 minutes or until it starts to bubble a bit. Measure out your other ingredients in the meantime. Pour the other 1/4 cup of honey into the water/yeast mixture and stir. Add the 2tbsp of melted butter and stir again. Add the salt and stir yet again.

Okay, now it’s time to add the flour. You should do this 1 cup at a time and not add the next cup until it’s at least moistened.

1 cup.
2 cups..
3 cups…
3.5 cups…

It should form a ball. If it’s sticking to the side of the bowl, add a sprinkle of flour until it can easily form a ball. (I usually have to add about an additional 1/4 cup.)

If you haven’t already, form into a ball in the bowl. Cover with a kitchen towel and let it rise for 1 hour.

– – – – –

Flour a surface with a good amount of flour. You don’t want it to stick to the counter! After the hour has passed, the dough should have doubled in size. Time to knead!

You can use your own method, but I found that the fold over, punch down, then rotate 90˚ works best.

BAM!

Do this for 3 minutes. It will become increasingly harder to fold. After 3 minutes is up, form into a loaf shape to place into the pan.

Before you place it in the pan, grease the pan with a little Pam or your preferred greasing agent.

Place the dough in the pan and “punch” the dough down so it touches all four sides.

Cover with a kitchen towel and let it rise for 30 minutes. During some point during these 30 minutes, turn your oven on and preheat to 350˚.

Place the lovely loaf in the oven. After 30-35 minutes, it should be done!

Take it out of the pan, and let it cool on a wire rack. Then…

Slice it up! (Note: It’s best to slice it after it cools, though the smell is incredibly tempting! Just wait. It’s hard to cut when it’s warm.)

Slice it up and enjoy!