Staff of Life

I don't know if this bread is really the staff of life. But it is dang good bread and good for you.

My husband was given this recipe by the woman that sold him his wheat grinder 25+ years ago. This bread has been a staple in our house for as long as I have been a member. My kids absolutely love it when they hear the stand mixer going. They know that umminess will certainly follow. Their favorite way to eat it is having the bread be made into cinnamon toast.

This bread is truly fool proof. That is if you follow the instructions. If you miss a step, you'll have problems. But if you follow the few basic instructions, you'll have your whole neighborhood at your door because they will be able to smell the deliciousness!

As a note, my husband and I have been following a no/low fat diet. I have made this bread without the fat and had no problems. If you are cutting out salt, I would warn you that this bread does indeed need some salt. Actually I have found that most of the whole wheat recipes I have made need some added salt.

I hope you enjoy this as much as my family has.

Whole Wheat Bread - Foolproof
Mrs. Grover, The Grover Company, Tucson, Arizona

12-13 Cups of Whole Wheat Flour
¾ Cup Vital Wheat Gluten
3 Tablespoons of Yeast
5 Cups of Warm Water
2/3 Cup of Cooking Oil
2/3 Cup of Honey or Molasses or 1/3 Cup of Each
2 Tablespoons of Salt

Pre heat the oven to 350 degrees.

Sprinkle the yeast in 1/2 cup of warm water

Combine in a mixer bowl 5 cups of warm water, oil, honey, molasses, and salt. Add 7 cups of whole wheat flour.
Mix on low speed until mixed. Then, mix on #2 speed for 2 to 3 minutes.

Replace the mixer head with the dough hook. Add 3 more cups of whole wheat flour and the yeast water.
Knead on #2 speed. Slowly add the rest of the flour (3 cups).
Knead on #2 speed for 10 minutes. The dough should be slightly sticky. If too sticky, add more flour, if too dry add more water. Dough should NOT stick to the side of the bowl.

Grease the bread pans with Crisco. Put oil on your hands and the counter top.
Dump the dough onto the oiled counter top and divide the dough into two equal pieces.
Put the dough into the bread pans and let rise NO MORE than 1/3 bulk.

Bake on the center rack for 40 minutes.

For a softer crust, brush the top of the loaves with oil or butter, cover with a towel and let cool.