Tired of buying loaf after loaf of store-bought bread? Try making your own! It’s healthier and cheaper. This is a foolproof recipe that makes two fluffy and beautiful loaves for your family to enjoy. 

This is a family recipe from Cache Valley Family Magazine editor, Emily Buckley. Her children look forward to warm bread each week, which means one loaf is usually enjoyed hot the day it is baked and second is good for the week’s sandwiches. Try it! You’ll be glad you did.

CVFM-Whole-Wheat-Bread

Ingredients:

  • 2 1/3 cups warm water
  • 1/4 cup honey
  • 4 tablespoons butter, melted (oil can be substituted)
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons yeast
  • 2 1/2 teaspoons table salt
  • 4 cups whole-wheat flour
  • 1 3/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, plus extra for work surface

Directions: 

  1. Combine 1 ½ cups whole-wheat flour, 1/2 cup white flour, the yeast and the salt in the bowl of a mixer.
  2. Add warm water, honey and melted butter. Mix on low speed until the ingredients are combined, then beat on medium speed for 3 minutes.
  3. Mix in the remaining 2 ½ cups whole-wheat flour, and add enough of the white flour to make a kneadable dough (it should still be fairly soft but still a little sticky.)
  4. If you have a dough hook, let the mixer knead the dough for 5 minutes, or until smooth and elastic, on medium speed. (You can also do this by hand, but it may take a little longer to knead).
  5. Put the dough back into the mixing bowl, cover with a wet tea towel, and let rise in a warm place for 45 minutes (an hour if your house is cold).
  6. Punch the dough down, divide it in half, and roll each half out into rectangular shape. Starting from the short end, roll each loaf up, and place into a greased 9×5 inch bread pan. The rolling may seem like a fussy step, but it produces a loaf with a better crumb and structure, and it also will make your loaves look better.
  7. Cover the loaf with a wet tea towel and let rise in a warm place for 30 minutes, or until doubled.
  8. Bake in a preheated 350-degree oven for 25-30 minutes, or until the bottom of the loaf sounds hollow when tapped. Alternatively, you can insert an instant-read thermometer into the long side of the loaf…when it reads 205 degrees, the bread is done.