Utensils

• Measuring cups
• Measuring spoons
• Small mixer with dough hooks
  - or -
  Bread machine
  
• Cooling rack
• Small bowl
  
• Pastry brush

Dough Ingredients

• 1 ½ cup warm water
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 3 tablespoons pure honey
• ½ teaspoon salt
  
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 ¼ cup whole wheat pastry flour
• 1 ¼ cup bread flour (white flour)
• ⅓ cup wheat gluten flour
• 2 teaspoons active dry yeast (1 packet red star)
  

Crust Ingredients

• ⅓ cup melted salted butter
  

Mixing Directions
Place all of the dough ingredients into your mixer or bread machine in the order given. When adding the yeast make a dimple in the center of the flour and pour the yeast into it. This prevents the yeast from contacting the water or salt until mixing begins.

Baking Directions
Oven
Once the dough has been kneaded and allowed to rise for an hour remove the dough from the mixer bowl or bread machine. Place onto a lightly floured surface and gently flatten the dough to a bit less than an inch thick. Shape the dough so it fits your bread pan leaving the top smooth. Cover the pan loosely with a clean kitchen towel and allow the dough to rise for about one hour. The top of the dough should have risen to about 1 inch above the top of the pan.

Bake at 375 F until bread internal temperature reaches 325 F. For darker crust bake at 400 F but watch it closely. This should take 25-30 minutes. If you weren't paying attention and the crust seems burnt don't worry quite yet.

Bread Machine
Select an appropriate whole grain or french bread program, select crust color and press start.

Finishing the crust
While the bread is still hot remove it from the bread pan and place on a wire cooling rack. Melt the salted butter in a small bowl and use the pastry brush to cover the entire loaf of bread in butter. You won't need more than one coating of butter. Allow the bread to cool to just above room temperature and place in an air tight container or sealed bag. After a few hours in a sealed container the crust of the bread will soften. If your crust seemed burnt then you may find the butter has saved it.

Yield
One 2 pound loaf

Tips

• If you are using a full size standing mixer with dough hooks you may need to double or triple the recipe and make 2 or 3 loaves in order for the dough hooks to work properly. Use a bread machine for making single loaves.
• Don't bake the bread in the bread machine unless you are in a hurry. The bread should bake fine but it will likely be lumpy. For a "perfect" loaf bake one or two loaves in a regular bread pan in a conventional oven.
  

Labels: recipe