Whole Wheat Bread

My husband and I decided a few weeks back that we eat bread more if it's homemade, rather than store bought.  Sometimes I find myself having to throw away half the loaf because we didn't finish it in time before it started to get moldy.  I love bread, but regular old sandwich bread is hard for me to eat all of the time...so we figured we would try to save ourselves some money and actually use what we spend on, haha. So I found this recipe and tried it and we really enjoyed it.  It's very hearty though and filling, and pretty dense. Not really one of those soft breads you think about. While I like this, I am still going to try out another recipe for multi-grain bread instead of whole wheat. Just to add some variety to life. :) Anyway, here is the whole wheat recipe.

Whole Wheat Bread

1 c milk
1/4 c molasses
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tsp salt
1 c lukewarm water
1 tsp honey
1 tbsp yeast
1 c all purpose flour
4 c whole wheat flour
1 egg white, or milk to brush on the top, optional.

In a small sauce pan, scald the milk (over medium heat, heat til you see tiny bubbles around the edges of the pan).  Remove from heat, and whisk in vegetable oil, molasses, and salt.  Set aside and let cool to lukewarm.  Meanwhile, mix the honey into the water, and then sprinkle the yeast over the top of the water.  Let stand 3 minutes, or until the milk is cooled. Mix together liquid ingredients (easiest to do in a stand mixer), and then add flour slowly, using your bread hook attachment.   Once flour is completely combined, remove dough from bowl, and spray with cooking spray or wipe inside with oil. Replace dough and cover with plastic wrap and let rise about 45 minutes, or double in size.  Punch down and knead again (dough will be slightly sticky, you'll need a generously floured surface).  Divide into two loaves, place in loaf pans and let rise again for another 45 minutes, again til doubled in size.  Brush top of loaves with milk or egg white. Bake at 425 for 10 minutes, then reduce heat to 350 and continue baking for 45 minutes.

Allow to cool completely and enjoy!  Store in airtight ziplock bag, will keep for about a week.