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Whole Wheat Bread

Source of Recipe


Adapted from "Homemade Bread"






List of Ingredients



• 1 pkg. active dry yeast
  
• 2-3/4 cups lukewarm water, divided
  
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
  
• 1 Tbsp salt
  
• 1/4 cup shortening (you may use butter, canola oil or lard)
  
• 3-1/2 cups whole wheat flour
  
• 4 cups unbleached white flour, divided
  






Instructions



1. Sprinkle the yeast on 1/4 cup of the warm water; stir to dissolve. Stir in the brown sugar, salt and shortening. Then whisk in the whole wheat flour and beat vigorously to mix well.
   
   
2. Use a strong wooden spoon to stir in 3 cups of the unbleached white flour, 1 cup at a time. Put the remaining 1 cup of flour on a clean, dry work surface and turn the dough out of the bowl onto the flour and gently fold it until most of the flour is incorporated into the dough. Keep working the dough, kneading in the remaining flour until the dough is smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes.
   
   
3. Clean and dry the bowl in which you mixed the dough, then grease it and put the dough back in; turn the dough over to grease the top. Cover the bowl with a damp tea towel or plastic wrap and let it rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1-1/2 hours.
   
   
4. Punch the dough down, turn it out onto the counter and divide it in half. Round each half to make a ball. Cover the balls of dough and let them rest for 10 minutes. Shape into loaves and place in two greased 9x5x3-inch loaf pans. Let rise until the dough reaches the top of the pans on the sides and the top of the loaf is well rounded above the pans, about 30 minutes.
   
   
5. Bake in the oven preheated to 375 degrees (F) for 45 minutes or until an instant-read thermometer reaches 180 degrees; cover the loaves loosely with a sheet of foil during the last 20 minutes. Turn the loaves out of the pans onto a cooling rack and cool completely before slicing.
   
   Makes 2 loaves.