Soft Honey Wheat Bread

Soft Honey Wheat Bread

Any one else love Great Harvest Bread?  My kids love it when I take them there to get a big, thick slice of hot fresh bread, while picking out some loaves to take home. Slathered with butter and honey, whole wheat bread tastes so good, it's almost a dessert!  My friend Melanie Bunker shared this recipe of her grandmother's for this delicious and soft whole wheat bread.  It reminds me a lot of Great Harvest's Whole Wheat Bread.  This recipe will make 5 loaves, so you'll have enough to eat hot out of the oven and still have a loaf for dinner, and a loaf or two to freeze and a loaf to give.  We LOVE this bread slathered with butter and honey... it's oh so good!   

3 tablespoons yeast

1/2 cup honey 

5 cups warm water  (test: water needs to be warm enough for a comfortable bath)

1/2 cup butter

1 cup brown sugar

1/3 cup olive oil

3 cups white flour

4 teaspoons salt

8-10 cups whole wheat flour

Generously grease 5 bread pans. In bowl of electric mixer, dissolve yeast in warm water and add honey.  Let stand for 10 minutes.  In a sauce pan, melt butter and stir in brown sugar and olive oil.  Add to yeast mixture and whisk by hand until thoroughly combined. Fit dough hook on mixer.  Add 3 cups white flour and salt.  Mix.  Add 5-6 cups whole wheat flour and mix.  Now add the remaining whole wheat flour 1 cup at a time.  Continue adding the flour until the dough stops sticking to the sides of the bowl.  Mix for 10 minutes.  Or if making by hand, knead for 10 minutes.  Divide dough into 5 equal parts.  With a rolling pin roll out each dough ball to 1/2 inch thick.  Fold up like a burrito and tuck ends under and place in greased bread pan.  Cover with plastic wrap sprayed with baking spray and let rise 1 hour .  Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.  Watch top of bread, if it gets too brown , place a piece of foil over the bread and finish baking.