Honey Whole Wheat Bread

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Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups warm (not hot) water
2 teaspoons active dry yeast
1 cup milk
1/4 cup honey
2 tablespoons olive oil or corn oil
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for kneading
2 3/4 cups whole wheat flour
1 tablespoon salt

  

Directions:

  1. Pour the water into a bowl of a standing and sprinkle the yeast over top. Let this stand for a few minutes until the yeast has dissolved. Stir in the milk, honey, and oil.

  2. Add two cups of all-purpose flour and the salt, and stir to combine the ingredients. Add the rest of the all-purpose and whole wheat flours. Stir to form a shaggy dough. Let this stand for 20 minutes to give the flour time to absorb the liquid.

  3. Remove the dough from the bowl and on a floured surface, knead the dough for 8-9 minutes. If the dough is  sticky against the sides of the bowl or the counter, add extra flour a tablespoon at a time until it is no longer sticky. The dough is kneaded when it is smooth, feels slightly tacky, forms a ball without sagging, and springs back when poked.

  4. Clean out the mixing bowl and cover it with a little oil. Form the dough into a ball and turn it in the bowl to coat it with oil. Cover the bowl and let the dough rise in a warm spot until nearly doubled in bulk, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours. This dough won't double quite as dramatically as other recipes, but the dough should look visibly puffed.

  5. Sprinkle a little flour on the counter and turn the dough out on top. Divide the dough in two and shape each half into a loose ball. Let the balls rest for 10 minutes.

  6. Grease two 8x4-inch (or 8 1/2 x 4 1/2-inch) loaf pans or film them with non-stick cooking spray. Shape each ball of dough into a loaf and transfer to the loaf pans. It's important that the surface of the loaves be stretched taut; this helps them rise and prevents an overly-dense interior. Let the loaves rise a second time until they start to dome over the edge of the pan, 30-40 minutes.

  7. Heat the oven to 425°F about halfway through the second rise.

  8. Next, turn down the heat to 375°F , place the loaves into the oven and bake for 30-35 minutes. Finished loaves will be dark golden-brown and sound hollow when tapped on the bottom. Remove the loaves from the pans and let them cool completely before slicing.