Adventures in Breadmaking: Whole Wheat Bread

I think I'm starting to get the hang of this bread making! This whole wheat bread recipe was on the side of some North Dakota Mill whole wheat flour.

4 cups Dakota Maid whole wheat flour
2 1/2 cups Dakota Maid bread flour
2 pkg. dry yeast
1/2 cup warm water (110-115 degrees F)
2 1/4 cups warm water
2/3 cups dry milk ( I used warm milk in place of the 2 1/4 cups warm water. Well, I meant to, but I forgot until I had started pouring the water in, so I ended up with about 2/3 cup milk and the rest water.)
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup shortening, melted (I used butter)
1 T. salt

Dissolve yeast in 1/2 cup water. Add remaining water, dry milk, honey, shortening and salt. Beat in 1 cup whole wheat flour. Add remaining wheat flour.

Turn out on counter and knead, adding enough bread flour to make a soft dough. Place in lightly greased bowl and let rise in warm place until doubled in bulk (about 45 minutes).

After first rise

Punch down dough, divide and form into two balls. Cover and let rest about 5 minutes.

Separated into two balls of dough

Roll each ball on lightly flour-dusted surface into a 10" by 6" rectangle. Roll up jellyroll fashion and pinch ends together. Place in two lightly greased 8 1/2" by 4 1/2" or 9" by 5" loaf pans, with seam sides down. Cover and let rise until doubled in bulk.

Bake at 400 degrees for 40 minutes or until bread sounds hollow when tapped. Remove from pans immediately . Cool on wire rack.

I was happy with how this bread turned out. I need to keep remembering that because homemade bread does not have the preservatives that commercially available bread does, it does not last as long. When I took the half loaf of bread that was left out later in the week, it was starting to get moldy already. Sigh. So, when I make two loaves of bread, I'll put one in the freezer until I'm ready to use it.

The finished product