Honey Wheat Bread

I slightly modified the recipe on the back of the package of King Arthur whole wheat flour. I substituted 1 ½ cups of bread flour for whole wheat. I also used olive oil instead of vegetable oil. This is the first time I actually kneaded the bread by hand. It was actually a lot of fun! I normally use my Kitchen Aid mixer, but I think I might start kneading by hand more often. This bread was good, but a bit too dense for sandwiches. It was great toasted with some jam. I will have to keep looking for a sandwich bread.

Ingredients:

2 ½ tsp. active dry yeast
1 ⅓ cup of water (105° - 115° F)
¼ cup olive oil
¼ cup honey
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 ½ cup bread flour
¼ cup nonfat dried milk
1 ¼ teaspoons salt

Directions:

Dissolve the yeast in two teaspoons of the warmed water. Combine all of the ingredients in a large bowl until the dough starts to leave the sides of the bowl. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface. Knead the dough for 6-8 minutes, or until it becomes smooth and supple. Transfer the dough to a lightly greased bowl, cover and let rise till dough is puffy (it does not need to double in size) about 60 minutes.

Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and shape into an 8 inch log. Place the log into a slightly greased 8 ½ x 4 ½ inch load pan. Allow the bread to rise for an additional 30-60 minutes or until it has risen about one inch above the loaf pan.

Bake the bread in a oven preheated to 350° for about 40 minutes, tenting it lightly with foil after 20 minutes. The loaf is ready when it sounds hollow when you tap it. You can also test in internal temperature. It is done when the thermometer reads 190°. Allow to cool completely before slicing.