Whole Wheat Sandwich Bread

This is a great homemade sandwich bread for the those back to school lunches - even if they are in your living room at the moment. This recipe makes two loaves. Freeze one and eat the other!

Recipe makes 2 loaves

Ingredients

2 ½ cups warm water
3 teaspoons honey, or sugar
3 teaspoons active dry yeast
4 cups whole wheat flour
2 ⅔ cups all-purpose flour
4 tablespoons oil
3 teaspoons salt

Instructions

In a large bowl whisk the water, honey, and yeast. Let sit for 5 minutes, until the yeast has bloomed (you’ll notice lots of little bubbles have appeared).
Add your whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour, oil, and salt, to your stand mixer. Pour in your liquid yeast mixture and combine ingredients using the dough hook attachment until the dough comes together in a ball that does not stick to the sides of the bowl. Do not over mix.
Remove the dough and place it on a lightly floured surface. Knead the dough a few times until it really starts to form a tight ball.
Once you have a nice ball shape, transfer it to a lightly greased bowl, turning the dough to coat it in grease. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a wet towel and store in a warm place for 1 hour. This will allow the dough to proof. You’ll know it’s ready when it has doubled in size. Save the plastic wrap or towel as you’ll be using it again.
Transfer the proofed dough to a lightly floured surface and press the dough – don’t stretch – into a 14X14 inch (36x36 cm) square.
Fold the top 3rd of the square down, and the bottom 3rd up to form an even rectangle. Pinch the top fold to seal the dough. Cut the dough in half.
Roll the dough over so that the seal is on the bottom and fold both ends up toward the center, so that the dough has formed an even log shape about the size of your loaf pan.
Transfer the doughs into individually greased loaf pans and cover with the same plastic wrap or towel used before.
Let the dough rise for 1 hour, until it has poofed over the edges of the loaf pans about 1½ inches (4 cm). Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Fill a sheet pan with water and place it on the bottom rack when you put the loaves in the oven.
Remove the plastic wrap or towel, transfer to the oven, and bake for 50-55 minutes (until the dough has formed a light brown crust).
Immediately remove the loaves from the pans and set aside to cool for at least 1 hour before slicing. Store in an airtight container or bag. The bread can be stored in freezer up to 6 months. Enjoy!