Mama Makes it Better: Honey Whole Wheat Bread

I started making all of our bread and such at home, from scratch. This is what prompted me:

I found this bag of store bought bread in the back of my pantry. We had opened it several weeks earlier and didn't use it all. Still looks pretty good, right? That is what freaked me out. This opened package of bread had been sitting there for weeks and was still soft and had not signs of mold. I am concerned as to what additives and preservatives are being added to our foods and what they are doing to our bodies. This is why we are trying to make as many things from scratch as possible, to cut out these additives and preservatives.

So now I had to find a bread recipe. I wanted one that didn't use white flour and had as few ingredients as possible. I stumble upon the perfect recipe at Make it Love it Share it. There is a dandy recipe for Honey Whole Wheat Bread. I decided to give it a try and it is what I have been making ever since. No bagged store bought bread has found its way into my house. Not a hot dog bun, hamburger bun, or tortilla! Be sure to check out my homemade whole wheat tortilla post. Now on to making this delicious bread!

You will need:

3 Tbsp. Active Dry Yeast
4 cups really warm water
1/2-3/4 cup honey
10- 11 1/2 cups whole wheat flour (freshly ground, if possible-I don't have a grinder, unfortunately, so I just buy already ground flour)
3 tsp. sea salt
1/4-1 cup add-ins, if desired: oats, ground flax seeds, sunflower seeds, etc. (I use oatmeal because I love it and for its health benefits. I would love to find ground flax seeds around here because I love those too.)
olive oil (I have mine in a stainless cooking oil sprayer as an alternative to commercial cooking sprays. I LOVE it!)

Now to make your delicious bread:

If you need to grind your wheat, do so now. Otherwise move ahead.
In the bowl of a stand mixer (or a large bowl, if not using a mixer), add water, yeast and honey. Mix well and let sit for 5-10 minutes, until a bubbly foam appears.
Add flour. I attach the dough hook and stir while adding flour. I add all 10 cups, 1/2 cup repetitively, until all 10 cups are in. I have never needed the extra 1 1/2 cups.
Add salt and any of your add-ins and mix gently until incorporated.
Knead in the mixer for 4-6 minutes (maybe longer if hand kneading). I usually set it at speed 4-6 for this and let it do the work. This is a sticky dough. Knead just until it pulls away from the bowl.
Let dough rise for 15 minutes.
Grease the back of your hand and punch down the dough really well.
Form into loaves. I shape mine into a large loaf on the counter and cut into 3 pieces with a large bread knife.
Put loaves into 3 greased pans. I don't have 3 loaf pans so I use what I have.
Let rise in pans for 30 minutes. (*Tip from Make it Love it Share it: Let dough rise in the microwave with a steaming cup of water, microwave off, of course. This works great.)
Bake in a 350 degree F oven for 30 minutes. (*Tip from Make it Love it Share it: Put a large glass baking dish of water on the bottom rack while baking the bread. I do it and my bread comes out perfect.)
Remove from pans and cool on wire racks.