The Whole Wheat Bread Recipe that will make you Queen

Nothing screams clever woman like hot homemade bread.  You are instantly a domestic goddess who has also made everyone in her immediate vicinity very very happy.  A serious chunk of the love I contain in my soul is for bread.  I am not to be trusted in it's presence.  Especially if it's nutty, wheaty, & rustic.  Mmmmmmmmmm.

I was never very good at bread making, and my husband, knowing this, gave me the Christmas gift of a bread-making class at the local university through their continuing education program.  He knows the way to my heart, and also how to up the quality of my labors.

I went one evening a week to a local Great Harvest and learned through practice and most importantly WATCHING someone make dough to the right consistency, knead it to the right elasticity, and proof it to perfection.

It changed my life.  But I was only half way there.

The second thing that changed my bread making was a stand mixer.  I inherited a Kitchen Aid from my grandmother.  The dough hook...pure kneading genius.  Thank you, whoever invented that gem.  I now use a Bosch.  Equally amazing, but with even more bowl space.

It is so much better that hand kneading.  Granted it's at the sacrifice of sculpted arms, but I'd rather have awesome bread, to be honest.

Because really good bread must be kneaded beyond most human abilities.  It is the key to activating gluten and getting it good and elastic.

The next most important think about bread is a good recipe.  One with the right balance of flours, especially if you're making wheat bread.  This is where you need to focus...

I ran across the MAGIC WHOLE WHEAT BREAD RECIPE OF ALL TIME.  It is the holy grail of wheat bread.  It takes about two hours from start to delicious finish.  It is unfailingly moist, nutty, and rustic.  Every time I serve it people ask for the recipe, only after they've demolished the entire batch.  And it's huge.

This Christmas I decided to give loaves as our neighbor gifts.  I cranked out 60 loaves in 4 hours.  Not too shabby!

I found it on the Two Healthy Sisters blog, which I think has run it's course, and I couldn't actually find the link, but I printed it, so I can share it with you.  Put this in a safe place.  You're going to want to hang on to it.

Happy baking!  You'll need someone on crowd control with this one!