This is an old recipe, my first bread recipe. I was taught to make bread by a friend when I was 12 years old. It took a lot of mistakes to figure out some of the basics of bread making, but I loved it from day 1. I’m sharing this in the original recipe, so it’s not in the ideal size for everyone, but feel free to adjust it down or up to fit your purposes. (3 cups flour for a bread machine recipe or about 17-18 cups whole wheat flour to make 5 lbs for taking challah with a bracha)
Honey Whole Wheat Bread
The original recipe I learned to bake bread with.
Ingredients
- 5 1/2 Cup Warm Water
- 3 TBSP Active dry yeast
- 1/3 Cup Honey
- 6 Cups Whole Wheat Flour (May substitute white flour)
- 1/2 Cup Olive Oil
- 1 TBSP Salt
- 3 TBSP Gluten Flour Optional (makes it hold together more tightly)
- 6-7 Cups Whole Wheat Flour (additional
Instructions
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Mix together warm water, yeast and honey. Let sit for 5-10 minutes until bubbly. Add the first 6 cups of flour and mix for 2-5 minutes using the whips on your mixer or a whisk.
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Stir in the salt and oil, then switch your mixer to the dough hook and start adding the remaining 6-7 cups of flour 1 at a time. Use a wooden spoon if you are doing this by hand. You are looking for a texture that is not sticking to the sides of the bowl or to your hands, but you don't want it to be to dry, so go slowly on that last cup of flour.
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Knead for 10 minutes by hand or 5 minutes in the bosch mixer. A half batch will work in a kitchen aid mixer.
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Form a round ball, cover with a clean damp towel and let raise 30 minutes. It should be double in size. Punch it down and cut the dough with an oiled knife to make 5 loaves. Shape the dough into loaves and place them into oiled bread pans. Cover with a damp towel and let raise 30-40 more minutes. Ideally in a warm place, such as in the oven (off) with the light on.
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Preheat the oven to 350 (remove bread pans first if you are raising them in there). Bake the bread for 30 minutes. It should be slightly browned on the top, and sound hollow if you tap on the loaf.
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Final step is to remove them from the bread pans and either rub them with olive oil on top or run them very quickly under the kitchen faucet (Crazy?!) just to dampen the tops. Now, cover them again with a towel and let them cool completely before slicing. The person I learned from recommended waiting until the next day to slice into the loaves.