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Half loaf of whole wheat bread with slices laying down
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Whole Wheat Bread Machine Recipe

Ingredients

  • 3 cups whole wheat flour preferably organic or freshly milled
  • 1 ⅓ cups warm water
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil or another neutral oil
  • 2 tablespoons honey
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons rapid rise yeast
  • 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar or homemade apple scrap vinegar

Instructions

  • Pour the warm water and honey into the bread machine pan. Sprinkle the yeast over the top. Close the lid and leave the machine off for about 10 minutes. This gives the yeast time to activate and start bubbling.
  • After the yeast has activated, add the olive oil and apple cider vinegar into the pan.
  • Pour the whole wheat flour on top of the wet ingredients. Sprinkle the salt on top of everything. Keeping the salt separate from the yeast ensures it does not interfere with the rising process.
  • Choose the 100% whole wheat setting if your bread machine has one. Set the crust to medium and the loaf size to 1.5 pounds unless your machine specifies otherwise.
  • About 5 to 10 minutes into kneading, check the dough. It should be slightly tacky but not sticky. Whole wheat flour absorbs more water than white flour, so add a teaspoon of water or flour if needed to reach the right consistency.
  • Let the bread machine do the work. The machine will knead, rise, and bake your bread. This process usually takes about three hours depending on your machine.
  • Cool the bread. Remove the bread from the machine and let it cool completely on a wire rack. Cooling helps the crumb set and makes slicing easier.

Notes

The bread machine might beep or move around a lot while kneading, this is normal considering the dough is denser since it is whole wheat. Just ignore the machine and make sure it doesn't fall off the counter.