Fat Free Honey Whole Wheat Bread

There is nothing like home made bread...the smell, the taste, the warmth, the comfort! I purchased a bread machine from a departing friend a few months ago. That was the best chai, dessert, and round trip car ride I ever offered up in exchange! A friend recently referred to the bread machine as "the best small appliance ever invented." She's not too far off in that statement. The bread machine offers up a healthy, home made, warm loaf of bread without all of the mixing, kneading, rising, punching down, etc. I often like to use my bread machine to do all of the dirty work, then split the dough in two parts and put it into bread pans for a more traditionally shaped loaf of bread. Here is my current standby everyday bread recipe that my family tears through in less than a week's time! (And, yes, the picture is of the two loaves of bread that I made today.)

FAT FREE HONEY WHOLE WHEAT BREAD
(There is 1/4 c. of oil in this, so I don't really believe that it is 100% fat free.)

Ingredients:

2 t. yeast
2 c. warm water
1/4 c. vegetable oil (canola and olive work well)
1/4 c. honey
1 t. salt
1/4 - 1/2 c. ground flax seed (opt.)
5 c. 100% whole wheat flour (or a mixture of 3 c. whole wheat and 2 c. white)

Preparation:

Dissolve the yeast in 2 cups of warm water. Add a few drops of honey to enable the yeast to bloom. This takes about 10 minutes.

Bread Machine Preparation:

Put the remaining ingredients into the pan of your bread machine. Add yeast mixture. Choose bread machine settings according to your preference. I like the "whole wheat" option with a medium darkness.

Should you choose to remove the dough and bake in loaf pans, skip down to #8 in the steps of "Non-Bread Machine Preparation."

Non-Bread Machine Preparation:

1. While the yeast is blooming, get another large bowl and mix the oil, honey, and salt.
2. Combine the yeast and honey mixture.
3. Gradually add the flours and ground flax seed to the yeast/honey combination using a plastic spatula.
4. Once the dough has come together enough to be turned out, turn the dough out onto a floured board and knead the dough until it is smooth.
5. Put the dough into a bowl that has been sprayed with a non-stick spray. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place in a warm, draft free place until it has doubled in size.
6. Punch the dough down.
7. Shape the dough into two loaves and let it rise again.
8. Then lightly sprinkle the tops of the loaves with corn meal and sea salt. (This step is optional, but adds a nice flavor.)
9. Bake the bread in an oven that has been preheated to 375 F (180 C).
10. Cook until golden brown, about 30 minutes.