This is a great recipe for several reasons. One, you might be sick of multigrain bread every week (me). Two, you can use ALL whole

So, this loaf is only about 50% whole wheat, but it works both ways!

wheat if you want to (think “getting rid of barrels of wheat in my basement”). Three, it has no fat in it, which when I’m on my pendulum swing towards better diet, I really appreciate. Plus, it’s delicious. I promise. It’s  a pretty wet dough, but it will still rise and cook well, and it makes 3 loaves, which is a good-sized amount. A word of caution, though: there’s a little too much dough in this recipe to mix in a standard Kitchen Aid, so either 2/3 the amounts or turn it out by hand and knead, if applicable (or be willing to clean the Kitchen Aid  after you’re done mixing because it gets up into the spring thingy–that’s what I usually opt to do).

Margo’s Famous Whole Wheat Bread

2 1/2 c. warm water
1/2 c. powdered milk
2 T. yeast
1/2 c. honey
1 c. mashed potatoes (or reconstituted potato flakes)
1 c. applesauce
2 eggs (ohh–I guess there is a little fat; I forgot about these)
1/2 c. wheat gluten (this is optional–you can buy this in the Health food store/aisle–Arrowhead Mills makes some. It helps the bread rise better and if you’re using 100% whole wheat, I would recommend using it).
2 T. salt
9 c. whole wheat, approximately (I usually do 1/2 wheat and 1/2 white)

Dissolve yeast in 1/2 c. of the warm water with a pinch of sugar in the bottom of a mixing bowl. In five minutes, add the remaining water and the rest of the ingredients through the salt, plus 2 c. of flour. Mix (by hand or mixer) for 1-2 minutes until creamy, then continue to add the remaining flour 1/2 c. at a time until the dough comes off the side of the bowl (adding the flour should take about 3-4 minutes). Knead the dough by mixer or by hand, 5-6 minutes in a mixer, 10-12 minutes by hand. This is a wet dough, so you may find yourself adding more flour. When the dough is smooth if you brush your finger across it but sticky when you touch directly, and it comes together in a good ball, place it in a greased container and let rise until doubled, 1 1/2-2 hours.

Turn the dough out and divide into 3 parts. Form each section into a rectangle, then starting at the shorter end, roll the dough up tightly and pinch the ends. Place the pinched side on the bottom of a greased (or cooking sprayed) bread pan. Cover lightly with plastic wrap and let rise again for 1 hour. Twenty minutes before baking, preheat oven to 350. You can dust the loaves with a little flour before throwing them into the oven (see pic) or not. Bake the loaves for 38-45 minutes.