Honey Whole Wheat Bread

My $23.00 breadmaker is one of my very favorite kitchen appliances.  It's a small Toastmaster brand machine- the cheapest we could find many years ago not long after we got married.  It's nothing special for sure, but it makes great bread dough.  For years we have used it for making pizza dough, dinner roll dough, etc.  This past week my friend Beth - who I think should really be writing this blog because she's so full of great ideas- wrote down a recipe for us for this honey whole wheat bread.  I was skeptical at first, in part because my children are beyond what you would call 'picky eaters' ;)  I also was skeptical because I have not found that my trusty little machine makes great bread.  It makes great dough that we transfer to the oven, but the bread is typically unsuccessful.

Regardless of my skepticism, I gave the recipe a try.  It was really delicious and the kids enjoyed it!  An added bonus is that it's far more healthy than most store bought bread and is not filled with preservatives.  Oh- and the house smelled great too!  ;)

Here's the recipe should you wish to give it a try!

3/4 cup water, heated two minutes in microwave
generous 1/4 cup honey
1/2 cup milk
3 cups whole wheat flour (or 1.5 cups white bread flour and 1.5 cups whole wheat flour)
1 tsp. salt
2 1/4 tsp bread machine yeast (or 1 packet)

Put in bread maker in order listed.  Set on the basic and light settings.

*To make this recipe super efficient - use a glass liquid measuring cup for all wet ingredients.  Begin by heating the water in the glass measuring cup.  Pour the water into the bread machine.  Then, while the glass is still warm, add the honey to measure.  The honey pours right out when the glass is warm.  Then add milk, to further help rinse honey from glass measuring cup into bread machine.  Then add dry ingredients.  Beth says she sometimes makes this at night, starts the machine and her family wakes to the smell of freshly baked bread and they enjoy it as it is or as toast for breakfast.