I was looking for a good recipe for bread on this cold day. Figured it would be a good compliment to a hearty vegetable/bean soup I was making. I wanted a wheat-based bread, so I ended up finding a recipe in my old faithful cookbook from Better Homes and Gardens. This is the recipe from there:
Mix 1/2 packet yeast with 1 c. all-purpose flour into a mixing bowl.
Heat 1 1/2 T. shortening (I used Crisco), a little over 3/4 c. water, 1/6 c. packed brown sugar, and 1 t. salt to where the shortening melts (around 115-120 degrees) stir constantly.
Add to the flour mixture. Beat at low speed for 30 seconds and then on high speed for 3 minutes.
Stir in 1 c. whole wheat flour and as much of 1/2-3/4 c. all-purpose flour as you can stir in with a spoon.
Knead using a bit more all-purpose flour for around 6 minutes. Grease a bowl and roll the dough in it once. Cover and let raise for 1-1/2 hours.
Punch the dough down, put on a bread board and cover to set for 10 minutes. Shape into a loaf and put into a greased loaf pan. cover and let raise for 1 more hour.
Bake at 375 degrees for around 25 minutes, then cover with foil for the last 20 minutes.
Turn out on a cooling rack to cool. Makes a very pretty loaf!
