Tammy,

I am having the same problem baking your recipe here in Alabama (usually high humidity). The bread is not as light and airy as yours although the flavor is wonderful. Do you let your bread rise first in the bread machine? Also do you roll your bread out to make it in a loaf. I have got to get to the health food store and get some gluten and see if that helps. Any ideas?

Thanks,
Rebekah

Maybe it WAS just your oven temperature.. I know my oven is way too hot so I've had to set it at 320* for it to be 350*..... But maybe you could just be relieved of the duty of breadmaking and let Joshua make it all the time. haha

Hi Tammy,

I have been observing the bread discussion here, but never sent you our recipe. We live about 2 hrs south of you, in Centralia. ("central" between Seattle and Portland). My mom developed a 100% whole wheat bread recipe that we have used for years:

Jane's Best Whole Wheat Bread

4 c. warm water
3/4 c. oil
1 c. honey
1 tsp. salt
2-3 tblsp yeast
12-16 c. freshly milled whole wheat flour
1 c. butter, softened

Combine water, oil, honey, and salt together in large mixing bowl. Add a few cups of flour, then the yeast. Mix well, then let rest for a few minutes to get the yeast bubbling. Continue to add flour until it's a good consistency (amount depends on the weather - I've been told cloudy overcast days are the best for breadbaking!) Work in the butter before the last few cups of flour. Knead, rise, shape, rise again, and bake at 350* for 35-45 minutes.

We enjoy this dough turned into rolls as well. We bake the rolls at 375 for about 20 minutes or until done.

The above recipe is how my mom makes it. I have come up with my own rendition of it, I posted the recipe on my blog here:
http://homesteadnutrition.blogspot.com/2008/12/soaked-wheat-bread.html. I like my version even better, but perhaps I'm just prejudiced! ;-) It must be good though because last weekend we had a family over for dinner and one of their boys ate a dozen rolls by himself! :-)

Hope this is helpful to you. Welcome to WA! I think you brought some of your Buckeye weather with you! ;-)

We have high humdity here too. If I don't use regular flour, mine doesn't turn out well either. I put 1/3 c white flour for each loaf and it turns out well.
For the poster who says theirs crumbles: The person who started me in wheat bread only makes it for company. When she gave me her bread it crumbled real bad and we could not slice it either without it breaking up and you could not fold it over for a half sandwich. When I asked an experienced bread maker to try it, she told me the gluten was not properly developed. So maybe you could try kneading it a little longer. Just a thought.

Since we don't drink much milk I never have fresh milk on hand so I like to buy the dry milk. Can I substitute dry milk in your recipe? If so, how much?

Thanks,
Joan

Could you maybe have more polls? I really enjoy them.

Tammy,
I just thought I would let you know that dry milk can be used in making bread. The amount depends on how much milk the recipe calls for. Instead of making the milk up you add the powder to your flour and add however much water for the amount of milk needed. Does that make sense???? We use powdered milk for all our baking needs as it is just too far to TOWN to get milk. Our village carries it but with the price being $6.99 for a gallon and $5.20 for 5 lbs of white flour we do not shop here unless it is an emergency!! TOWN is 60 miles away so we try to keep our trips to once a month. Now we do have a couple of guys who work for my husband who we sometimes have bring milk down on our off weeks but I don't like to be an imposition so we try to keep it to a minimum.

I am so happy to hear that you are adjusting and there has been successful bread!

Take care now!