After the success of our first loaf of bread we decided to try making a whole wheat variety. We love the nutty, rich flavor of whole wheat and appreciate that it is better for us than white bread.

The recipe we used was called 100% Whole Wheat Sandwich Bread. Here is how we made it:

Ingredients:

• 1 1/3 cups lukewarm water
• 1 1/3 cups lukewarm milk
• 1 1/2 tablespoons granulated yeast (or 2 packets)
• 1 1/2 tablespoons Kosher salt
• 1/2 cup honey
• 5 tablespoons light flavored oil
• 6 3/4 cups whole wheat flour

Directions:

Making the Dough

1. First you will need to make the dough. Mix the yeast, salt, honey, and oil in the milk and water in a large 5-quart bowl (we used the bowl from our stand mixer).
2. Add in the flour, without kneading, and mix into a dough. You can use a spoon, food processor with a dough attachment or a heavy-duty stand mixer with a dough hook. (I love our KitchenAid stand mixer!)
3. Cover the dough (we just used a dishtowel) and allow to rest at room temperature until the dough rises and collapses, about two hours.
4. At this point you can either bake the dough or refrigerate it for later use. Refrigerate in a covered container for up to 14 days.

Baking the Bread

1. Lightly dust the surface of your dough with flour and cut off a cantaloupe-size piece. Dust the surface of this piece with a little more flour and quickly shape into a ball by stretching the surface of the dough around to the bottom, turning as you go. Place in a greased loaf pan and allow to rest for an hour and 40 minutes.
2. Preheat your oven to 350º for 20 minutes. Place an empty broiler tray on another shelf where it won’t interfere, we placed ours on the bottom shelf.
3. Sprinkle a little more flour on the surface of the dough and, using a serrated knife, cut slashes into the top.
4. Once the oven is finished preheating slide the loaf pan onto the middle rack. Quickly pour one cup of water into the broiler tray and close the oven door. Bake for about 50 minutes or until the crust is a nice brown color and firm.
5. Allow to cool and enjoy!!

This recipe makes enough dough for three 1 1/2-pound loaves. The rest of your dough can be used for up to 2 weeks to bake additional loaves. Just store it in the refrigerator, lightly covered, until you are ready to bake. You can easily double or halve the recipe according to your needs! I am really excited about this book, it has so many more recipes to try!