Anna’s Honey Wheat Bread
1½ cups whole wheat flour
¼ cup quick cooking oats
¼ cup rye flour
¼ cup wheat germ
¼ cup wheat bran
2 teaspoons salt
2 packages active dry yeast
2 cups milk
½ cup light honey
¼ cup vegetable oil
1 egg, lightly beaten
3 to 3 ½ cups bread flour
In a large mixing bowl, combine whole wheat flour, oats, rye flour, wheat germ, wheat bran, salt and yeast; mix well. In a saucepan, heat milk, honey and oil to 130 degrees F. Stir into dry mixture and beat for 2 minutes, then add egg and beat for 1 minute more. Let the batter rest for 5 minutes as the various grains absorb moisture.
Add 3 cups of bread flour, one cup at a time, mixing thoroughly after each addition. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 3 minutes, adding small amounts of the remaining flour to keep the dough manageable. Cover the dough with a clean dry dish towel and allow to rest for 5 minutes, again as the flours absorb the moisture. After the resting period, knead the dough for another 5 to 7 minutes. The resulting dough should be sticky but not gooey, firm but not stiff. Lightly oil the surface of the dough and place it in the rinsed mixing bowl. Cover with a towel and let rise in a warm, draft-free place for 60 to 90 minutes, or until doubled in bulk.
Punch down dough and knead briefly to work out the larger air bubbles. Divide dough in half and form into loaves. Place loaves in lightly greased 8 ½ x 4 ½ x 2 ½-inch loaf pans. Cover with a towel and let rise for 30 to 45 minutes or until nearly doubled in bulk.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake 40 to 45 minutes or until loaves are dark brown and sound hollow when tapped. Remove from pans and let cool on wire racks.
Note: If you don’t have any wheat germ or bran, you can substitute crushed bran cereal. The oats, rye flour and honey are combine to make an unusually sticky dough, so resist the temptation to add more flour than is absolutely necessary to keep the dough from sticking to your hands. Don’t push downward too hard as you knead and you’ll have an easier time of it.