Whole Wheat and Seed Bread

*I have a K-Tec Champ that allows me to make five-six loaves of bread at a time.*

Place in mixer bowl:

6 cups hot water (92-110 degrees; can be low especially when using the warm fresh ground flour.)
1/3 cup canola or olive oil
1/3 cup honey (I use about 2T molasses and the rest honey)
2 TB instant yeast
1/2 cup pure gluten
1 cup ground seeds (I use flax, sesame and sunflower seeds, whirred up in the blender)
5 cups whole wheat flour

Mix together. Let sponge (sit and bubble up) for 25 minutes

Add:

1 1/2 T salt (I always put my salt container on the mixer because I have been known to forget to add it. Not a good idea.)
Enough whole wheat flour to clean sides of bowl. This recipe used approximately 13 - 14 cups of flour in all, but the moisture in the air can impact how much flour is needed.) I put in the majority of the flour, then set my mixer to its bread cycle. The last few cups I add one at a time, making sure that I don't add too much flour. Once the bowl starts coming clean, I set my mixer to auto-knead. I just press the button and it mixes just the right amount and turns off. No thinking on my part...that's my idea of a mixer.

I put 1lb.4oz. of bread dough in each bread pan, and then place it in a 170 degree oven to rise. Once it has risen to the desirable height (usually about 25 minutes), I switch the oven to 350 degrees. I bake them for 25 minutes, including the time the oven is heating up to 350. You know the loaf is done when you tap the bottom and it sounds hollow. I grease the pans with a mixture of oil and liquid lecithin (I purchase the lecithin at the local health food store.)

I cool on racks for as long as I can keep the hungry residents from attacking. It technically should cool at least ten to fifteen minutes, but that is asking a lot sometimes. It just gooshes more easily if not cool.

For storage, I have purchased bread bags. I originally bought these because we sold bread in order to pay ourselves back for the cost of the mixer (and the grain mill we use to grind wheat.) For our own use, we recycle them over and over and over. They are very sturdy.

This recipe was adapted from the Basic Whole Wheat Bread recipe in Hearth and Home by Karey Swan. A favorite cookbook.