After becoming more and more frustrated with not being able to find whole wheat bread without high fructose corn syrup in it, and dumbfounded by the astronomical cost of 'sugar free' and 'low carb' whole wheat breads (which both usually also contain corn syrup), I decided to start making my own bread again. Over the course of the past month I have been experimenting with recipes and recipe combinations. And finally, after many a flunked loaf, I have found the Perfect Whole Wheat Recipe for Bread Machines!

Mix together in a separate bowl:
3 cups whole wheat flour
3/8 cup vital wheat gluten
2 tps. salt

In the bread pan of your bread machine add:
1 1/2 cups water (this should be 110 degrees, or as close as you can get it)
2 packs of active dry yeast (about 4.5 teaspoons)
Use a wooden spoon handle to stir the yeast until it is completely dissolved. Then add:
3 tablespoons of honey (stir until completely dissolved)

Add the dry ingredient mix and set your machine for wheat bread, light bake, 1.5 pound loaf. During the first knead it's a good idea to use the wooden spoon handle to help scrap the excess dry ingredients out of the corners (if your pan is square) to help incorporate it into the dough.

I have found that I can add as little as 2 tablespoons of honey and still get a decent rise. But factors like air humidity are going to predict how well your loaf does. Just keep in mind that yeast DOES need sugar in order to perform properly. Meaning the little guys EAT the sugar and their "by product" is carbon dioxide. Which is what makes bread so light and fluffy (otherwise you have a brick instead of a loaf). The key is to provide just enough sugar for the yeast-beasts to consume, but not so much that there is a lot of residual sugar left in the finished product. For me, in this particular recipe, honey did the best job. But you all are welcome to experiment with that yourselves!

I'm amazed how much better this tastes than the stuff you get at the store (and with no chemicals or preservatives!). A homemade loaf lasts us 2-3 days, so it's very economical. And it's so easy to start a loaf before bed so there is bread waiting for us the next day. I do recommend getting one of those bread slicing guides so you can cut thin, even slices. Now you all get those seldom-used bread machines out of the cabinet and enjoy!

Sam

Sam
Way to go!!

I love the recipe, but where do I find the gluten? I don't know where to buy it.

The only "problem" is the honey. Some are very stringent about it, so the only substitution would be to use Agave Nectar which is legal and a wonderful fill-in for honey!

I may have to drag mine out again!!

Thanks
Joanie

Sam, I will definetly give this a try. I love my bread machine, it makes the whole
house smell so gooooooood. Just on question, I guess this is to Joanie though,
where do you get this Agave Nectar????? Grocery store or health food store?????
Is it in a bottle????? Thanks crystal

Joanie, I have found the wheat gluten at the health food store before when I was
making some bread. Crystal

Also, fructose does work, but I had to use a lot more of it to get the bread to rise as well. Might just be my environmental conditions or whatever (or my specific bread machine). I went with the sugar that I had to use the least amount of. I've not tried agave yet... though I think the cost might off-balance the "economical" part of making bread for daily consumption! For myself anyway.

I've wondered just how much residual sugar is left in the bread after the yeast has a chance to work on it. Chances are it is trace and what "sugar" you use is inconsequential. Does anyone know about that??

Oh, and about the gluten - I buy it in the grocery store. Wal Mart Supercenter usually. The brand I find there is Hodgson Mill. It's in a smallish box near the flour and baking stuff.

Sam

I'm answering my own question here. I did some looking around online and found a great article at howstuffworks.com about what causes bread to rise. Well, we all know it's yeast, but I had to find out just how much of the sugar you put into the recipe actually remains in the final product (after the yeast get their fill). Here's a quote:

"...It turns out that, in the mixture of flour and yeast, there are enzymes that turn the starch in the flour into maltose, another sugar. The yeast uses this sugar in the same way it uses the glucose in white sugar...
...In a loaf of bread, it is this flour-to-maltose reaction that actually drives the expansion of the bread for the most part -- the small amount of sugar you mix into the bread dough is used up by the yeast fairly quickly..."

SO, I guess we can be rest assured that the yeast-beasts will eat most, if not all the sugar we put into the recipe. That's a load off my mind anyway...
Sam

I made this bread yesterday, and it is great toasted!

But it did not round off on te top. It fell before baking in the machine. this is cosmetic, but I do like a good looking loaf.

As the wheat gulten helps the rise, does anyone think that decreasing the amount would round the top of the loaf? I am thinking this was an "over rise" issue.

FYI-As for the honey, we buy Tupelo honey which is supposed to be better for diabetics. As always, use in moderation.

Noel,
Thanks for the heads up!
But, here in the Philippines I am just happy to get the local honey!
Also, the small amount of honey in the recipe is "eaten" by the yeast in the rising proccess is what I understand. Therefore, not in the finished product. So, hence not an issue.