HONEY-WHOLE WHEAT BREAD Recipe ~Makes 2 loaves

I’ve had this recipe a long time … but this is the first time I’ve made it 😉

It’s a simple recipe, with few ingredients.

I make my bread on laundry day, and set it to rise atop the warm dryer.

Honey-Whole Wheat Bread Recipe

2 packages active dry Yeast * ½ cup warm Water (105 – 115-degees using a candy thermometer) * 1/3 cup Honey * ¼ cup Shortening * 1 tablesoon Salt * 1¾ cups warm Water * 3 cups Whole Wheat Flour * 3 – 4 cups all-purpose Unbleached Flour * margarine or butter, softened

Ingredients.

Dissolve yeast in ½ cup warm water in a large mixing bowl. Stir in honey, shortening, salt, 1¾ cups warm water, and whole wheat flour: beat until smooth. Mix in enough all-purpose flour to make dough easy to handle.

Yeast, honey & shortening.

Whole wheat flour added ...

Mixing all ingredients.

Turn dough out on a lightly floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic – about 10 minutes.

Kneading the dough ...

Place in a greased bowl, and turn greased side up; cover and let rise in a warm place until double – about 1 hour. (Dough is ready if an indentation remains when touched).

Setting dough to 1st Rise.

Rising under a basket atop the dryer, on Laundry Day; covered with towels to keep the warmth ...

There's the indentation; a very nice rise.

Punch dough down, and divide into halves. Flatten each half with hands or a rolling pin into a rectangle: 18” x 9”. Fold crosswise into thirds, overlapping the 2 sides. Roll up tightly, beginning at one of the open ends. Press with thumbs to seal after each turn. Pinch edge firmly to seal. Press each end with flat of hand to seal – fold ends under loaf.

Punching the dough down ...

Dividing the dough evenly.

A rough estimation of 18-inches in length.

The tri-fold ...

I'm pretty rough with beating the bubbles out of the dough. LOL

Rolled and sealed loaf; ready for the greased pan.

Place loaves, seam side down, in 2 greased 9” x 5” x 3” or 8½” x 4½” x 2½” baking pans. Brush with margarine or butter – let rise in a warm place until double – about 1 hour.

Placed atop the dryer again, for the 2nd Rise. Recover with towel-shrouded overturned laundry basket.

 A good rise.

Heat oven to 375-degrees. Bake loaves until they are a deep golden brown and sound hollow when tapped – 40 to 45 minutes. Remove from pans and cool on wire rack.

Sprayed with butter-flavored cooking oil for a nice crust browning ...

Covered with foil the last 25 minutes so top crust doesn't burn.

Perfect!

Buttered to soften crust - and set on sides, on a wire rack, to cool. Covered while cooling.

Wire rack indentations make for nice, even slices.

It smells SO YUMMY! And it's a balanced moistness, too.

Brooke Ligertwood – ‘Honey In The Rock’ song:

(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v4dIoOdLSOA)

8 ct. slices wrapped in plastic wrap & foil, for the freezer. Whole Loaf; halved for my use; recycled wrapper.

BUTTERMILK HONEY BREAD Recipe

Today is laundry/bread making day, and I thought that since Spring is in the air, I would make a Spring type bread ;-)

So I dug around in my recipe collection and found this tasty bread. The texture is excellent, and the sweet smell of honey that greets your nose with the first cut of the knife after the bread cools will have your taste buds screaming for a bite.

I bake my bread on laundry day because after it is kneaded and placed in a bowl to rise, I put it under an overturned laundry basket atop my dryer, covered with a bath sheet towel or a small blanket. Easy-peasy-no-fail way to raise the dough.

Buttermillk Honey Bread is perfect for sandwiches. This bread also make tasty toast ;-) You can also change the flavor of this bread by using different flavored honeys.

BUTTERMILK HONEY BREAD ~Makes 2 oval loaves

1 envelope dry Yeast or 1 cake fresh Yeast * ¾  c. lukewarm Water (105-degrees F to 115-degrees F) * 1 tsp. Honey * 5-1/4 to 6-1/4 c. unbleached Flour or Bread Flour * 1-1/2 c. lukewarm Buttermilk (95-degrees F) * 3 TBS. Honey * 2 TBS. unsalted Butter (1/4 stick), melted & cooled * 1 TBS Salt (I used Pink Himalayan)

Sprinkle dry yeast over warm water in small bowl. Add 1 teaspoon honey & stir to dissolve. If using cake yeast, crumble into small bowl; stir in lukewarm water and 1 teaspoon honey: let stand until foamy – about 10 minutes.

Combine 2 cups flour, buttermilk, 3 tablespoons honey, butter, and salt in a large bowl. Add yeast mixture and beat until smooth – about 3 minutes. Mix in enough remaining flour half a cup at a time until dough is too stiff to mix. Knead on a floured surface until dough is smooth and satiny looking; kneading in more flour if sticky, about 10 minutes.

Grease a large bowl. Add dough, turning to coat entire surface. Cover bowl with plastic and let rise in a warm draft-free area until doubled, about 1-1/2 hours.

Grease 2 baking sheets. Gently knead dough on a lightly floured surface until deflated. Cut dough in half. Knead each piece into a round and then pull 2 opposite sides under to form an oval shape. Place on prepared sheets, seam side down. Cover with towel; let rise in a warm draft-free area until doubled in shape – about 45 minutes.

Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 375-degrees.

Bake loaves 45 minutes … or until brown and loaves sound hollow when tapped on bottoms. Immediately transfer to racks to cool. Cool completely before slicing.