Homemade Whole Wheat Bread (5 loaves at a time!)

I got a Bosch Mixer for Christmas (I know, I'm totally spoiled) and have been experimenting with different wheat bread recipes to try out on my family.  I love being able to make 4 or 5 loaves at once and freeze the ones we're not using right away for the week.

I'm still curious about some recipes that call for overnight sponges and such, I think that might treat the wheat so it's easier to digest.  But for now I've found our favorite recipe for quick and easy wheat bread in "The Essential Food Storage Cookbook."  I really need to get a copy of this book, I keep checking it out from the library over and over again!  I made a few small changes to the recipe, but I think this method is awesome.  And it's 100% whole wheat!  I use white wheat because that's what we store--I've never tried it with red wheat--and probably never will, so I can't say how that might make it different.

WHOLE WHEAT BREAD

6 cups hot water
2/3 cup oil (olive or canola)
2/3 cup honey (I use 1/3 honey and 1/3 sugar since I don't have a ton of honey)
2 T. Vital Wheat Gluten
1/2 cup powdered milk (optional but I use it)
6 cups whole wheat flour
2 T. yeast
2 T. salt
10 more cups of whole wheat flour or so
butter

Mix hot water, oil, honey, gluten, powdered milk, and flour.  At this point the batter should be lukewarm so it doesn't kill the yeast.  Add yeast.

Gently mix to blend then let it sit to sponge about 10 min.  Add salt.

While stirring, gradually add additional whole wheat flour until the dough begins to "clean" the bowl.  If the dough is sticking to the sides of the bowl, continue to add flour.  You can test for enough flour by gently touching dough with your finger.  If dough sticks to your finger, add flour and keep kneading.  When the dough barely does not stick to finger, stop adding flour.

Knead on low speed for 8 minutes.  Turn dough onto an oiled surface (do not use flour).  Turn dough a couple of times to coat with oil.  Cut dough into 5 even pieces (or 4 if you use bigger bread pans).  Shape each piece into a loaf and place in a 8.5 x 4.5 greased bread pan.  Cover and let rise 1 hour to 1 1/2 hours (ok, I do under an hour--45 min or so--because they raise so quickly here!)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and bake 26 to 28 min (I did mine like 30) or until internal temp reaches 190 degrees.  You can gently push a meat thermometer through the side of the loaf into the middle for the temp reading.  Remove from oven and brush tops with butter.  Let loaves sit 5 to 10 min before gently removing from pans.  Cool on a wire rack.

* Makes 5 loaves (in 8.5 x 4.5 pans)