Whole Wheat Bread - Success!

I baked sandwich bread yesterday and it actually turned out...hooray! It was easy enough that I could (probably) make two loaves every weekend and save us $100+ a year on bread, which would be nice. And nothin' beats the taste of fresh bread.

I'm typing the recipe out because it's in a huge paperback cookbook that is very hard to keep open. (And you probably shouldn't use a full kettle of water to hold it open unless you want a mess...oops!) It really is worth making - no excess kneading and rising and it turns out beautifully!

Whole Wheat Bread Recipe
(adapted from Better Homes & Gardens, 11th ed.)

3 to 3-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 package active dry yeast (2-1/4 teaspoons)
1-3/4 cups water
4 tablespoons packed brown sugar + 1 tablespoon molasses (or 1/3 cup brown sugar, per original recipe)
3 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups whole wheat flour

1. In a mixing bowl, mix together 2 cups of the regular flour and the yeast. In a medium saucepan, heat the water, sugar + molasses, butter, and salt until warm to the touch or the butter is just melted. Add the water mixture to the flour bowl and beat on low for 30 seconds, scraping sides of bowl, then turn to high speed and beat for 3 minutes. Then use a spoon to stir in the whole wheat flour and as much of the rest of the flour as you can (about 1/4 cup).

2. Turn the dough out onto a lightly-floured surface and knead in enough of the remaining flour to make a fairly firm dough that is smooth and elastic after 6-8 minutes. (Another 3/4 cups of flour in my case.) Shape into a ball and put in an oiled bowl, turning the dough over once so it's all coated in oil. Cover and let it rise for 1 to 1-1/2 hours, until doubled in size.

3. Punch the dough down and dump onto a lightly-floured surface, then divide in half and let rest for 10 minutes. Then shape the dough by patting and tucking into two loaves, tucking edges underneath.

4. Put in two greased bread pans, cover, and let rise for 45-60 minutes until doubled in size.

5. Bake at 375 for 40-45 minutes, until dark golden brown and it makes a hollow sound when you tap on the top. (I baked for 35 minutes and then put foil on for the last five to keep it from getting too brown.) Take it out of the pans immediately and cool on wire racks.

After that, you just have to try to be patient while it cools enough to cut into!