Whole Wheat Bread
 
Ingredients
  • 1 package active dry yeast
  • ¼ cup lukewarm water (110 to 115 degrees)
  • ½ cup firmly packed brown sugar
  • 1 Tablespoons table salt
  • 2-1/2 cups lukewarm water
  • ¼ cup solid vegetable shortening
  • 3-1/2 cups whole wheat flour
  • 3-1/2 to 4 cups all-purpose flour
Instructions
  1. Sprinkle yeast on ¼ cup lukewarm water; stir to dissolve. Dissolve brown sugar and salt in the 2-1/2 cups lukewarm water in large bowl. Add shortening, whole wheat flour, 1 cup of the all-purpose flour, and yeast. Beat thoroughly to mix well.
  2. Stir in about 3 cups more flour or enough to make a soft dough. Turn out onto floured surface. Cover and let rest for 10 minutes.
  3. Knead dough until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes, adding more flour as needed, but keep the dough on the soft side.
  4. Place dough in a greased bowl; turn dough over to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1-1/2 hours.
  5. Punch dough down. Turn out onto floured surface and divide in half. Round up each half to make a ball. Cover and let rest for 10 minutes.
  6. Shape each ball into a loaf and place in 2 greased 9-by-5-inch loaf pans. Cover and let rise in a warm place until dough reaches top of pan on sides and is well-rounded above pan, about 1-1/4 hours.
  7. Heat oven to 375 degrees F. Bake loaves for 40-45 minutes or until bread is a deep golden color and sounds hollow when tapped. (Bread can be covered loosely with aluminum foil the last 15 minutes if you think it is getting too dark)
  8. Remove bread from pans and let cool on wire racks. I brush the top of loaves lightly with melted butter, but this is optional.
Recipe by The Culinary Cellar at https://theculinarycellar.com/whole-wheat-bread/