Wheat Bread

Course Bread

Author Tammy Blankenship

Ingredients

3-4 cups wheat flour
1 tablespoon powdered milk
2 1/4 teaspoons yeast
2 tablespoons vital wheat gluten
1 1/4 cups warm water
2 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil
2 tablespoons honey or agave nectar
1 teaspoon salt

Instructions

In a mixer or by hand:

In a large bowl, mix together 2 cups of wheat flour, yeast, vital wheat gluten, and powdered milk. Add the warm water and mix well. Add the oil and honey (or agave) and mix again.
Add the salt and start the mixer (or mix by hand), adding the remaining flour until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl to form a soft dough. You may not need to add all of the flour. Your dough should be slightly sticky, but hold its shape.
Let the dough knead for 7 minutes in the stand mixer (or 15 minutes by hand).
Place bowl in greased bowl, cover with a cloth and allow it to rise for about an hour, or until doubled.
Once dough has doubled in size, smash dough into rectangle. The short side of the rectangle should be about the length of your bread pan. Roll up the rectangle, pinch it shut and put the seal side down in your loaf pan.
Cover with a towel, let rise until doubled. Bake in a 350 degree preheated oven for 25 minutes or until when pricked with a thermometer reads about 200 degrees.
Dump loaf onto cooling rack, butter top, and let cool at least 10 minutes before slicing.(Bread continues to cook after you pull it out. Don't let that temptation lure you into not letting your hot bread rest for a few minutes.)

Recipe Notes

In the Bread Machine:

Add the water, oil, agave. Cover with flour. On top of flour place salt, yeast, milk powder and vital wheat gluten. Turn mixer on dough cycle. Once the dough has incorporated all the flour check to make sure it is the right consistency. (You want to be able to tap it with your finger without it sticking, but not full on grab it.)
When dough cycle is finished, proceed with the remaining steps (starting at step 5) in the recipe.