Honey Whole Wheat Flax Bread

Well, it's clear that I'm slightly obsessed with all things wheat and carbohydrate.

I love this bread because it:
1) tastes awesome
2) is chewy, not crumbly---works great for sandwiches.
3) doesn't take forever to rise
4) is super hearty and healthy

Mix together in a large bowl:

• 3 cups whole wheat flour
• 1/3 cup vital wheat gluten
• 1 1/2 Tbsp. Yeast

Add 2 1/2 cups really warm (but not bitingly hot) water and mix well. Cover and let rest for 10 minutes.

Next, add:

• 1 Tbsp salt
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 1/3 cup honey
• 1 1/2 Tbsp lemon juice
• 1/2 cup ground flax meal
• 1 1/2 Tbsp dough enhancer
• 2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

Mix really well. This will form a pretty soft dough. After it's mixed, I place the kneading hook on and as it kneads for 5-10 minutes, slowly add about 1/2 cup bread flour.

Next, preheat your oven to warm and then turn it off. While oven is preheating, spray your hands with non-stick spray and divide your dough in half. Form into 2 loaves. Place loaves into well-sprayed bread pans and place the pans in the warmed oven for 15-20 minutes to rise.

Then, without removing the loaves from oven, preheat oven to 350 degrees and bake for 27-30 minutes from the time you turn the oven on. After taking the loaves out of the oven, you can butter the tops slightly to keep them soft. The bread slices best once completely cooled.

I get from 32-34 slices of bread total out of this recipe (not counting the little end pieces). This is the nutrition information for 30 slices: Calories per slice: 132, Total fat: 2.4 grams, 4.0 g Dietary Fiber, 4.8 g protein

Dough after resting for 10 minutes

Kneaded dough---right before shaping it into loaves

The finished product :)