Singledou[b]t: Challenge 1, Day 12: Honey Whole Wheat Bread

I know.... its been a while since i posted for the food challenge. Its been a busy month and I am so sad its almost over... so sad. With going home, getting a new part time job, a church retreat and hurricane Irene, I just haven't had time.

BUT I now have three recipes in the cue to upload and write about so just wait!!!!

Monday, I made Honey Whole Wheat Bread. This was so flipp'n good. I am addicted and I am positive this will be a staple in our house. Kinda like the granola.

It was so easy to make! Even if you aren't comfortable making bread, this is one for you! I found this recipe on Allrecipes but I varied it so the directions and ingredients below reflect my changes.

YOU NEED:

3 tsp rapid rise yeast

1 teaspoon white sugar
1/2 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
1 (12 fluid ounce) can evaporated milk
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup melted butter
1/2 cup honey
2 teaspoons salt
2 cups whole wheat flour
3 cups bread flour
1/3 cup oats
1/4 cup wheat germ
2 tablespoons butter

Dissolve yeast and sugar in 1/2 cup warm water. Let sit for 10-15 minutes. You'll know the yeast is good if the mixture bubbles.

Add the evaporated milk, 1/4 cup water, and butter to a large bowl. I use a kitchen aid mixer so I added it to the larger bowl.

Add the honey. I listed 1/2 a cup but as you can see, I didn't measure. Its quit possible I used more then 1/2 a cup.

Then add the salt and wheat flour to the bowl.

Mix in yeast mixture, and let rest 15 minutes.

Add bread flour, oats and wheat germ, and process until dough forms a ball.

If using a Kitchen Aid Mixer, kneed on "2" with the bread hook for about 5 minutes. If you don't have a Kitchen Aid, you can mix by hand until well mixed, then kneed by hand for 10 minutes.

Place the dough in a buttered bowl, and turn to coat.

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Let dough rise for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until almost doubled. Depending on your apartment, it might take longer then 45 minutes. Yeast loves a warm, humid environment. There are a few tricks to helping the dough rise. You can either turn on the oven to 225 degrees and sit the bowl on top of the stove while the oven is on. You can also heat your oven to 400F for 1 minute, turn off and then put the dough (covered with a wet towel not plastic) in the oven for 15 minutes.

When the dough has doubled in size, punch it down on a floured surface.

Divide the dough in half.

Roll out each half, and pound out the bubbles.

Form into loaves, and place in buttered 9x5 inch bread pans. Butter the tops of the dough, and cover loosely with plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm area until doubled; second rise should take about 30-45 minutes.

When its at least doubled in size, place a small pan of water on the bottom shelf of the oven. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).