BEST whole wheat bread

I get requests for my recipe for whole wheat bread pretty frequently. This is a recipe that I twisted and tweaked until I got it just right. Now, it is the only recipe that I would consider using. It is very versatile. You can use it for dinner rolls, breadsticks, pizza crust, etc.

Whole wheat bread

8 cups whole wheat flour (freshly ground if possible)
1 TB salt
3 TB wheat gluten
2 TB dough enhancer*
1 TB yeast
3 cups warm water
3 TB oil or butter (I use olive oil when I have it)
3 TB honey

You will probably have different people telling you THEIR favorite way to make bread. This is the way that I do it, but you can take these same ingredients and do it the way that works for you!
Mix all the dry ingredients together (this includes the yeast if it is instant- if using regular yeast, sprinkle it on your water and let it start to activate). Add oil (I do this first and then the honey because it helps the honey slip out of the measuring spoon easier) honey, and water. You can use a mixer or mix with a big wooden spoon. Add water or flour if needed to make the right consistency. Knead for 5-10 minutes until you get a soft pliable dough.
Let rise until double in bulk in an oiled bowl covered either with plastic wrap (make sure to spray it with non-stick spray so it won't stick) or a wet cheesecloth.
Punch down and form into loaves and put in loaf pans. Preheat oven to 350 Let rise until double again (about another 1/2 hour). Bake for 35-40 minutes.

This bread has a wonderful chewy texture. It is not crumbly at all like many homemade wheat breads can be.

*dough enhancer can be bought at most grocery stores in the baking isle. I usually find it either on the top or bottom shelf. You can also buy in in bulk through companies like www.bluechipgroup.net or Alison's pantry.

Honey Taffy

We made honey taffy today as an experiment. It turned out quite delicious and not as hard as I thought it would be. This is an extremely simple recipe with ingredients all of us have in our food storage. It was a also really fun to do with the kids. They had just as much fun making it as they did eating it!

Honey Taffy

Ingredients

3 cups honey

1 12 oz can evaporated milk (You can substitute heavy cream for evaporated milk if you wish)

Pour honey and evaporated milk into sturdy pan on med/high heat until boiling. Turn heat down to low/med and cook until medium crack stage. This took about 25 minutes on my stove. Don’t stir once it boils for best results. While taffy is cooking, prepare 2 sheet pans by spreading butter on them and placing them in the refrigerator until taffy is ready. When taffy reaches medium crack (test with cold water) pour mixture into one of the prepared pans and let cool just until you can handle it without burns. Take of as much candy as you can handle with 1-2 people and pull until the color changes to a very light brown/tan. We like it at light as it will go. You can try a few pieces at different stages of pulling and see what you like. Once taffy is pulled, form it into ropes and cut off into bite size pieces. I like to store these pieces on my other sheet pan until all the candy has been pulled. For best storage, wrap each piece in wax paper and enjoy.

This is a fun family activity and doesn’t take as long as it might seem, especially if you have a few kids around to help you pull it. It is also a great way to use those big buckets of honey many of us have in our food storage. Plus, it gives the kids the familiarity of having candy.