Wholesome Wheat Bread

My sister and I were in 4-H, and Mom was our breads project leader for years. Because of that early training, fresh homemade bread like this is a staple in my own kitchen.

PREP: 30 MIN. + RISING

BAKE: 55 MIN. + COOLING

MAKES: 2 LOAVES (16 SLICES EACH)

2 pkg. (¹ ₄ oz. each) active dry yeast

2¹ ₄ cups warm water (110° to 115°) ¹ ₃ cup butter, softened

¹ ₃ cup honey 3 Tbsp. sugar

1 Tbsp. salt

¹ ₂ cup nonfat dry milk powder 4¹ ₂ cups whole wheat flour

2³ ₄ to 3¹ ₂ cups all-purpose flour

1. In a bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add butter, honey, sugar, salt, milk powder and 3 cups whole wheat flour; beat on medium until smooth. Stir in remaining whole wheat flour and enough all-purpose flour to form a soft dough.

2. Turn onto a floured surface; knead dough until smooth, about 10 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover with plastic wrap; let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.

3. Punch down dough. Turn onto a lightly floured surface; divide into four portions. Roll each into a 15-in. rope. For each loaf, twist two ropes together; pinch ends to seal. Place in greased 9x5-in. loaf pans. Cover with kitchen towels; let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 375°.

4. Bake until golden brown, 25-30 minutes. Remove from pans to wire racks to cool.

PER SLICE 134 cal., 2g fat (1g sat. fat), 5mg chol., 243mg sod., 25g carb. (5g sugars, 2g fiber), 4g pro. Diabetic exchanges: 2 starch.