Best bread recipe, ever.

   This bread turns out the best of any I have ever tried.  Especially making it with whole wheat, it is light and soft not a heavy lump that many recipes make.  I realize this doesn't have much to do with pizza and pop, but I did eat it for supper with my rootbeer braised chuck roast tonight. That was a Pinterest find, sort of.  I saw one then combined it with a few recipes I googled and didn't really like it.  I could taste the sweetness of the rootbeer.  However, I think if I would have added BBQ sauce it would have been better.  
  Back to the recipe at hand...It doesn't take any longer than any other bread recipe necessarily, but it is more labor intensive which definitely pays off in the end!

                                                 Cast of Characters
Start by pouring the water in the mixing bowl and adding the sugar, oil and yeast to it.  

                 Now, wait 5 minutes to for the yeast to activate.

                                     Looks all bubbly like this.
Then add the whole wheat flour.

 Mix it around til it's just getting moist (you will still see lots of dry flour). Now, it's a 15 minute wait while the gluten gets going.  This is what makes the loaf lighter and fluffier.

 Here's the activated gluten.  Now, you pour in your salt and if you want to add any mix-ins such as ground flax, wheat bran, wheat germ, etc this is the time to do it.  

 Get that whisked around in there and add the white flour.  I usually add about 2/3 of it, stir it up and then add the remaining to decrease the flyaway flour.  I also use this method for that: throwing a dishtowel over the top of the mixer.  Hello!  I saw a friend doing this recently for whipping cream and I totally had a lightbulb go off!

...diminish the mess...

rest of the white flour

Now, mix until all combined and the dough is climbing up the dough hook.

                                                         like so.

Next, you will need:

 Spray a large bowl with cooking spray and dump your bread dough into it.  Also, spray the top of the dough.  

 Cover with a cute dishtowel and let rise for an hour. **Here's the labor intensive part** Every 10 minutes

 you will need to punch the dough down and then I spray my hands and dump the dough into my hands and knead it for about not quite a minute, then plop it back into the bowl, cover and repeat in another ten minutes until the hour is up.

 Now would be the time to look at the mess you've made and 

have a yummy strawberry and vanilla yogurt snack.

and wonder why there is a truck parked at the end of my driveway.  Then, finally get back and clean up the mess.

When the hour is up,lightly flour the counter and rolling pin and roll the first loaf out.  I make it about the width of the bread pan and roll the length until the thickness is uniform.  Then roll it up, pinch the seams and put it in the awaiting, already sprayed loaf pan.

When all your dough is used up, cover and let rise until the tops are well rounded.  Usually 30-45 minutes.  Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

 Bake until the tops are browned and the loaves sound hollow when tapped.  Usually 25 minutes in my oven.

Remove and enjoy!  Wish I could capture the wonderful aromas wafting about my house at this time.  I always have to cut a piece and smear it with butter and eat it while it's still hot.

Best Whole Wheat Bread                                      Bake at 400 for 25 minutes
5 cups warm water                                                Makes 5 medium loaves
3 Tbsp yeast
1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp sugar
1 cup oil
2 Tbsp salt
6 cups whole wheat flour
6 cups white flour

Optional: I add in up to 1 cup total of the following
ground flax seed
wheat germ
wheat bran

Add sugar and oil to the warm water, sprinkle yeast over the top.  Let sit for 5 minutes.  Add the whole wheat flour, mix lightly and let sit for 15 minutes.  Add the salt and optional mix ins, lightly mix.  Add 4 cups of white flour, mix that in that add the remaining 2 cups.

Spray a large bowl with cooking spray and pour the dough into it, spray the top of the dough also and cover and let rise for one hour, punching the dough down every 10 minutes.  When the hour is up, roll out your loaves, shape and put in pans.  Let rise until tops are well rounded and then bake.