Heaven in a Bread Pan.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again - There are few things more wonderful then the smell of homemade bread baking in the oven! :) You know that scene on Ratatouille when "Ego" tastes the ratatouille and he's immediately brought back to his childhood.. yah. That's what bread does to me. When I was younger, my mom let me stand on a chair at the counter and watch her bake bread, after the dough had risen for the first time, she'd form the dough into loaves then give me the special paint brush! :) - I got to paint the pans and the loaves of dough and it was always something I looked forward to! I will post my mom's AMAZING white bread recipe later, but for some reason, I could never get her wheat bread to work for me, so after searching, tweaking, and drooling.. I put together the PERFECT wheat bread recipe. This recipe makes 4 loaves of bread, I use my Bosch and it is almost effortless! - However, the original recipe was put together by a woman who did it all by hand - So! It should work either way.. you could just half or quarter it to make it work in your Kitchen Aid or other mixer.

Nine Grain Whole Wheat Bread
Cara

2 T yeast ( I use Saff instant yeast.. it's the best :) )

1 t white sugar
4 c warm water
1/2 c honey
1/4 c molasses
1/2 c vegetable/canola oil
2 eggs
2 T lemon juice
10-12 c whole wheat flour
1/2 c wheat gluten
1/4 c ground flax seed
1/3 c 9 grain cereal
1/3 c sunflower seeds
1 heaping T salt

In a large bowl or mixer (I love my Bosch) , dissolve the yeast and sugar in 4c warm water. After the yeast has proofed and is bubbly, mix honey, molasses, oil, eggs and lemon juice. Mix well. (tip, I add my oil first and then use the same measuring cup for the honey and molasses.. the sticky stuff slides right out of the measuring cup when it’s already oiled :) Another tip from my excellent mama.) Gradually add 5 c whole wheat flour, mixing well after each addition. Add the flax, 9 grain cereal and sunflower seeds. Stir well. Let stand for 20 minutes. Mix in gluten, salt and the rest of flour until dough pulls away from the bowl. Knead for about 4-5 minutes in mixer or Bosch, or 10-15 minutes by hand until dough is smooth and elastic. Put into a greased bowl and cover. Let rise until doubled, about an hour.
Punch down and shape into four loaves. Place in greased bread pans and let rise until doubled again. Bake at 375 degrees for 20-25 minutes, or until crust is golden brown! You will be so proud of yourself and you will probably never be able to go back to yucky store bought bread! :) - It's been interesting, all I can taste is the preservatives in store bought bread now.... well, you won't find that here! This is REAL bread! :) :)

I leave one loaf out and freeze the rest so it stays fresh. When you want to pull a loaf out and defrost it, you can either let it sit out to thaw or take the twisty tie thing off, and place the bread in the bag in the microwave for 1 - 1 1/2 minutes ... perfection! :)

You can get ALL of these ingredients at most whole food stores. I get all of my ingredients at Kitchen Kneads off of Redwood Road and between 7800 and 7000th South on the East side of the road here in Utah. I love that place. I get my bread bags and twist ties there as well. I've yet to see them in regular grocery stores.

ENJOY! If you have ANY questions, feel free to ask! :)