Wheat Bread

From Melanie von Bose

5 c hot water (115-120 degrees)
2 Tb Saf yeast
1/2 c honey
1/3 c oil
2 Tb salt
1 Tb liquid lecithin
1 tsp vitamin C powder
12 c whole wheat flour (more or less as needed)

(1) Mix together everything except flour. Liquid lecithin and vitamin C powder can be found at health food stores. The liquid lecithin is very sticky and doesn't wash out of your measuring spoon very well. My advice is to measure it once to see what 1 Tb should look like, then eyeball it from then on. Measure the oil and then pour it into the measuring cup you'll use for the honey; then pour it into the mixer. That way your honey cup is oiled and you won't have to mess with trying to scrape the honey out.

(2) With your mixer set to medium speed, add flour one cup at a time. Mix for 10 minutes; don't add more flour after the first 2 minutes. The feel of the dough matters more than exact measurements, so you may need more or less flour depending on the day. After you've made it a few times, you'll know what you like and what your dough should look and feel like. You don't need to knead the dough because the mixer did that for you.

(3) Let dough rise until doubled. I have a big red bowl that was $1.50 at Walmart and is one of my favorite kitchen tools. I set the dough in that bowl, spray with non-stick spray, cover loosely with plastic wrap, and let it rise until it's peeking up over the top.

(4) Pound the dough down (great stress reliever) and divide into 4-5 equal parts. Shape into loaves and let rise in pans. (Again, I spray them and cover loosely with plastic wrap.) When dough has risen 1-2 inches above the loaf pans, it's ready to bake.

(5) Bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes.

(6) Use a pastry brush to brush butter over the tops of the loaves when they come out of the oven to make your loaves look shiny and pretty. Let them rest in the pans for a few minutes before moving them to wire cooling racks. If you put them in plastic bags while they're still warm, the condensation on the inside of the bag will make your loaves soggy. Be sure to enjoy at least one slice warm with butter and homemade jam. mmmmmm

**My mom got this bread recipe in a healthy cooking class she took years ago, and it's my favorite wheat bread. It's really light and fluffy, not like most heavy wheat breads.