Wonderful Whole Wheat Bread

Update: New post - round 2 - with more pictures and tips. Click here.

So I baked a double batch of a wheat recipe that I've been playing with for a while. Here the link to Tammy's Homemade Wheat Bread but I changed it a little - of course!. I will post my version of the recipe below. First what went wrong: Nothing other than the big holes in the middle! I will never again roll my dough out and then snail it up again to get a dough log for rising. I keep getting these darn holes in the middle. Other than that it was delicious, could have been a little sweeter. It's super fluffy making it a little harder to slice but it is so nice and tough from the vital wheat gluten that it doesn't tear! So yippie. I'm so close to my perfect loaf! Enjoy and let me know how you might do things differently.

Yield:

2 loaves

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons active dry yeast
2 cup warm water (110-115 degrees F)
2 tablespoons milk
2 tablespoons oil
4 tablespoons honey (I replaced it with agave &/or white sugar because I was out of honey)
4 tablespoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons Vital Wheat Gluten (Bob's Red Mill is what I used)
2 cups all-purpose flour
3 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup old fashioned oats (dry - uncooked)

Instructions:

1. Combine first 2 ingredients with a pinch of sugar and let proof for 5 minutes. I did this in the measuring cup so that I could put the next 4 ingredients in a large mixing bowl and stir while waiting for the proof. Once bubbly and fluffy yeast mix the yeast mixture into the mixing bowl and stir.

2. Add flours, vital wheat gluten, oats and salt and knead until dough is smooth and elastic, about 10-15 minutes. I do this in my kitehenaid mixer. Place dough in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover with a clean towel and let rise until doubled, about 40 minutes. Well it's winter so I left it for almost 3 hours but mainly cause I had to go grocery shopping. Came home and it was HUGE!

3. Punch dough down; knead for a few minutes until smooth and then form into a loaf. Place in 2 greased loaf pans and cover. Let rise in a warm place until almost doubled in size, about 30 minutes. I left it for about an hour or until I thought it was a good height for baking. It rose slightly int he oven but not much at all. So pick your height.

4. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes. If loaf starts browning too soon.

5. Remove bread from oven and allow to rest in pan for a few minutes. I covered it with plastic wrap for about 5-10 minutes to soften the crust. Then I removed it to a wire rack and covered it with a cloth. Slice and enjoy while still warm! Leftover bread can be stored in an airtight bag or frozen until needed.

Note for next time:
More sugar/agave/honey