Whole Wheat Bread

I love my bread machine! It was a wedding gift and not something I had registered for; someone just got it for me. At the time I didn't think much of it But in the tens years since I have put the bread machine to good use. Every weekend I make at least one loaf, sometimes two, for the coming week. Here is a great basic whole wheat recipe that can be modified easily.

Whole Wheat Bread

Add to the bread machine in this order:

1 c, plus 1 Tbsp warm water

2 Tbsp melted butter or olive oil

3 Tbsp honey or molasses or agave

3 c whole wheat flour

1 heaping Tbsp powdered milk

1 tsp salt

1 Tbsp dough enhancer

2 tsp active dry yeast

If your machine has a whole wheat setting, use that, and set for a medium crust. This recipe makes one 1lb loaf of bread. At the *beep* you can add a cup of chopped nuts or 1/2 cup nuts and 1/2 c raisins or dried currants. Today I added a mix of pecans, walnuts and sunflower seeds (because that's what was in the pantry :-). Sometimes I add cinnamon and orange zest. Or add a tablespoon of Italian seasoning mix.

Dough enhancer is something a fellow blogger, Homemade Alaska, turned me on to about a year ago. Now I keep a big batch in the freezer and use it all the time. It really helps whole wheat bread have a good consistency. The recipe for making your own dough enhancer is at Chickens in the Road.