Whole Wheat Bread

Many of you know that over this past year or so, I've tried to change my eating habits to accomodate a more natural, organic approach. It's a tough change to make--especially to our wallet--since organic foods are more expensive and a little more difficult to find (especially in Central Pennsylvania...hurray for Giant grocery stores. Their organic section is a life saver.) But the difference it has made in our over all health makes it worth it.

One of the major ingredients I'm trying to eliminate from my family's diet is high frutose corn syrup. It's in so much, though--even all the healthy looking loaves of bread in my grocery store's bread isle. So I've started making my own bread and I've found a fantastic recipe that I wanted to share with anyone who might be interested. I found it on the side of the King Arthur Traditional Whole Wheat Flour bag. It's a dense bread that works well for the sandwhiches I send daily in Jeff's lunch.

Classic Whole Wheat Bread
2 1/2 tsp. instant yeast OR 1 packet active dry yeast dissolved in 2 tbsp. water
1 1/3 cups lukewarm water
1/4 cup vegetable oil (I use coconut oil)
1/4 cup honey, molasses or maple syrup (I like using honey the best, although the sweetener is not a dominant taste in the bread and it won't change the final outcome greatly)
3 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1/4 cup nonfat dried milk
1/4 tsp. salt

Mixing: In a large bowl, combine all of the ingredients and stir till the dough starts to leave the sides of the bowl. Transfer the dough to a lightly greased surface, oil your hands, and knead it for 6 to 8 minutes, or until it begins to become smooth and suple. (You may also knead this dough in an electric mixer or food processor, or in a bread machine programmed for "dough" or "manual".) Transfer the dough to a lightly greased bowl, cover the bowl, and allow the dough to rise till puffy though not necessarily doubled in bulk, about 60 minutes, depending on the warmth of your kitchen.

Shaping: Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled work surface, and shape it into an 8-inch log. Place the log in a lightly greased 8.5 x 4.5-inch loaf pan, cover the pan loosely with lightly greased plastic wrap, and allow the bread to rise for abouot 30 to 60 minutes, or until it's crowned about 1 inch above the edge of the pan. A finger pressed into the dough should leave a mark that rebounds slowly.

Baking: Bake the bread in a preheated 350F oven for about 40 minutes, tenting it lightly with aluminum foil after 20 minutes. Test it for doneness by removing it from the pan and thumping it on the bottom (it should sound hollow), or measuring its interior temperature with an instant-read thermometer (it should register 190F at the center of the loaf). Remove the bread from the oven, turn it out of the pan, and cool it on a rack before slicing. Store the bread in a plastic bag at room tempurature.