Best. Honey. Wheat. Bread. Ever.

We LOVE us some wheat bread at my house. Hubby and I love to try new wheat bread recipes once in a while. Yesterday, we found the PERFECT Honey Wheat Bread recipe. Am totally stealing it. Here it is. You won't go back:

“Awesomest Honey Wheat Bread Ever”

Ingredients:

1 (25 oz.) package rapid rise yeast 

1 teaspoon white sugar 

½ cup warm water (110 degrees F) 

1 (12 oz.) can evaporated milk 

¼ cup water                        

¼ cup melted shortening

¼ cup honey

2 teaspoons salt  

2 cups Whole Wheat Flour 

3 cups Bread Flour  
1 stick butter, softened

Directions:

1)   Dissolve yeast and sugar in ½ cup warm water in small bowl.

2)   Combine milk, ¼ cup water, shortening, honey, salt, yeast mix and wheat flour in bread mixer with dough hook. Mix until blended and let rest 15 minutes. Add bread flour, and process until dough forms a ball. Knead the dough by processing about 1 ½ minutes in mixer (or knead 10 minutes by hand). Place the dough in a BUTTERED bowl, turn to coat. Spray plastic wrap with PAM and cover the bowl. Let dough rise for 45 minutes, or until almost doubled.

3)   Punch down, and divide dough in half. If there are bubbles, roll dough out, pound out bubbles. If not, form into loaves and place in 2 buttered 9X5 inch bread pans.  Butter the tops of the dough, and cover loosely with plastic wrap that has been sprayed with PAM. Let rise in a warm area until doubled. Second rise should take 40 minutes-ish.

4)   While dough is rising, place a jelly roll pan half full of water on the bottom rack of the oven, and preheat oven to 375° (You will bake the bread with the jelly roll pan on the bottom.)

5)   Bake for 25 to 40 minutes or until tops are dark golden brown. (But not too dark! Gotta watch 'em!)

6)   Empty loaves onto cooling rack, butter tops immediately. Slice bread when cool.

*This recipe makes two loaves, can double easily. Total prep/baking time 2 ½ hours