No-Knead Honey Whole Wheat Bread

No work was done in the basement over the weekend because I neglected the rest of the house for the last two weeks.  So I spent the weekend cleaning the upstairs and making meals.  I started Saturday morning pulling a turkey carcass out of the freezer and making turkey stock.  The turkey made enough stock to make a turkey noodle soup with another 7-1/2 cup of stock for the freezer.  I froze about 3 quart of roasted tomatillos last fall and found a wonderful recipe for Tomatillo Chicken Stew from Simply Recipes.  While defrosting and organizing the freezer I found several pints of marinara sauce and spinach packages.  These items allow me to make Spinach Stuffed Manicotti from my own recipe for dinner tonight.

Since Christmas I been working on a No-Knead Whole Wheat Bread recipe.  The modified recipe was published by Mademoiselle magazine. Susan Leiberman was a guest editor and submitted it "No-Knead Bread"in the 1970s.  This recipe makes 3 great tasting white bread loaves but I prefer whole wheat.  The whole wheat bread only makes 2 loaves.  The whole wheat flour does not raise as high when using white flour.

No-Knead Honey Whole Wheat Bread

3/4 cup warm water
2 pkg or 4-1/2 teaspoons dry yeast
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon flour
5 cups unbleached flour
3 cups whole wheat flour
1 tablespoon salt
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup vegetable oil (I use olive oil)
3 eggs well-beaten
2 cups warm water

In a small bowl mix the first 4 ingredient together and set aside. 

Measure the unbleached and whole wheat flour and add the salt in a large bowl.  Using a whisk thoroughly mix the dry mix together.  Add the honey, vegetable oil, eggs, water and yeast mixture to the dry ingredients.  I use clean hands to mix it together until I have a sticky ball.  If you prefer not to use your hand a large spoon will work just fine.  I prefer to use my hand because I can feel when all the ingredients are thoroughly combined.  Cover the bowl with a towel and allow the mixture to sit in a warm place for 3 hours or until the mixture doubles. 

Divide the dough in half and shade into 8"x 5"loaves.  Put into bread pans.  Cover the dough again with a towel and allow to raise another hour. 

Preheat the oven to 350F.   Brush the bread tops with egg whites to get a lovely carmel colored loaf.  I use dried egg white and it works well.  Place the loaves in the center oven rack and bake for 55 minutes or until the sounds hollow when tapped.

Enjoy!