A bread for me, but that everyone likes

I've been breaking out the bread machine more often lately, doing some experimenting trying to come up with a loaf that's more whole grain than the bread I've been making for Brad and Cassie's sandwiches and for grilled cheese sandwiches. I found this recipe for 100% whole wheat bread for the bread machine on the King Arthur website. It was tasty but fairly assertive on the wheat flavor. Also, 100% whole-grain breads tend to collapse in the middle when you make them in the bread machine, and this one was no different. So I actually cut back on the whole wheat flour just a bit, and found that the high-protein King Arthur all-purpose flour gave the bread plenty of structure, with no need for the vital wheat gluten that's used in the original recipe for that purpose. I also swapped in some golden flaxseed meal because it adds good flavor and works really well in bread machine breads. I ended up with a loaf that's about 80% whole grain. It was supposed to be for me, but Brad and Cassie both really like it, so they'll start seeing some of this in their lunches as well.

So why do I keep posting recipes for the bread machine? Well, one or more of you may decide to get a bread machine one day. And why not, mine works great, costs less than $100, and I use it 2 or 3 times a week to make fresh bread. It's worth it just to have the house smell so good on bread-making days.

But even if you don't ever get a bread machine for yourself, you can still make all of the bread machine recipes by hand. It's pretty easy really. Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl with a rubber spatula. Scrape them out onto a lightly floured work surface, and knead until you have a soft, smooth dough, about 5 to 10 minutes. It's a good hand and forearm workout for you climbers. Put the dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover it with plastic wrap or a kitchen towel, and let it rise until it's puffy and nearly doubled in size, 1 to 2 hours, depending on the bread and how warm your kitchen is. Once the dough is risen, spray a baking pan with nonstick cooking spray. The size of the pan depends on the recipe. Here's a good article on what size loaf pan to choose. This recipe uses about 3½ cups of flour and flaxseed meal, so you'd probably choose a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan. Gently deflate the dough, then place it in the prepared pan. Cover the pan with lightly greased plastic wrap or a disposable shower cap (grab one from the hotel the next time you stay at one), and let it rise until it's puffy again, probably another 45 to 75 minutes. In a smaller pan, the risen dough will probably crown a little over the rim of the pan, but I doubt this one would in the larger pan. Near the end of the rising time, heat the oven to 350 degrees. Bake in the center of the oven until the bread is golden brown and baked through, probably about 35 to 45 minutes depending on the recipe and the size of the pan. If you have an instant-read thermometer, the bread will register 190 degrees when it's done. Check the bread after about 20 minutes—if it looks like the top is browning too quickly, tent the bread with foil for the remainder of the baking time. Remove the pan from the oven, wait a minute, then turn the bread out onto a cooling rack. Cool completely before slicing (if you can't wait that long, let it cool for at least 30 minutes).

Honey-Wheat Bread

Adapted from King Arthur Flour

Time: 3 hours total, but only 7 minutes to get the ingredients into the bread machine and started baking (step 1)

I usually make this with 2 tablespoons each of sesame seeds (18 grams) and golden flax seeds (15 grams).

295 grams (1¼ cups) lukewarm water
27 grams (2 tablespoons) olive or sunflower oil
3 tablespoons honey (63 grams); or maple syrup (58 grams); or sugar (35 grams)
350 grams (2½ cups) regular or white whole wheat flour, preferably King Arthur
90 grams (¾ cup) all-purpose flour, preferably King Arthur
25 grams (¼ cup) flaxseed meal
¼ cup sesame, flax, or sunflower seeds, or a combination, optional (see note)
1½ teaspoons sea salt
1½ teaspoons instant yeast

    1. Add the ingredients to the bread pan in the order listed.  Set the machine for a 1.5-pound loaf, "Basic" cycle, and "Medium" color, and press "Start."
    2. The first kneading cycle lasts 10 minutes (on my machine). Near the end of that time, check the dough. If it feels a little sticky and there's a slight smear of dough under the knead blade(s), the dough is fine. If the dough is very sticky and clinging to the sides of the pan, add 1 tablespoon of flour. Allow the flour to be mixed in completely before making any more adjustments. If the dough is dry and very firm and the machine appears to be laboring, add 1 teaspoon of lukewarm water. Allow the water to be mixed in completely before making any more adjustments. The dough is just right when it is smooth and soft, and the bottom of the pan is clean.
    3.  Set a kitchen timer for about 8 minutes shy of the machine's full baking cycle. Check the bread when the timer sounds. If it's done, turn the machine off and unplug the cord. Remove the bread pan, turn it upside down, and shake gently until the loaf comes out. Transfer the loaf to a rack to cool completely. Makes one 1¾-pound loaf.