Darcy's Whole Wheat Bread {The Recipe I Use Most}

This yeast-bread recipe, Darcy's Whole Wheat Bread {The Recipe I Use Most}, leans on wheat flour, instant yeast and vital wheat gluten. It makes 5 -6 loaves and takes about 115 minutes.

• Yield 5 -6 loaves
• Ready in 115 minutes
• Prep 90 minutes
• Cook 25 minutes

Ingredients

• 15-17 cups wheat flour (about 80 ounces)
• 2 tablespoons instant yeast
• 1/2 cup vital wheat gluten
• 1000 mg Vitamin C (crushed, or 1 tablespoon lemon juice or white vinegar)
• 6 1/2 cups very warm water
• 2/3 cup oil
• 2/3 cup honey or sugar
• 2 tablespoons salt

Instructions

1. In a large bowl (or stand mixer, like the almighty Bosch), mix together 5 cups of wheat flour, yeast, vital wheat gluten and Vitamin C (or lemon juice or vinegar). Add the warm water and mix well. Add the oil and honey (or sugar) and mix again.
2. Cover the bowl and let the mixture sit for 10 minutes. Add the salt and start the mixer (or mix by hand), adding the remaining flour until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl to form a soft dough. You may not need to add all of the flour! Judge the dough by feel not by the amount of flour you've used. It might be slightly sticky but should hold it's shape.
3. Let the dough knead for 7 minutes in the stand mixer (or 15 minutes by hand). Form into 5 loaves (for the 8 1/2 X 4-inch loaf pans) and place into greased bread pans. Let rise until the bread is 2 inches above the top of the bread pan.
4. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes (I like to let the bread rise 1 inch above the top of the pans and then put the bread in a cold oven and turn the oven on to 350 degrees and bake the bread for 32 minutes).

Cool the bake on a rack until the crumb sets, then slice.