I made the best loaf of my entire bread baking career this weekend! Who knew the secret was just on the backside of the Fleischmann's rapid rise yeast package? Instead of making two loafs which the recipe calls for, I combined all the dough for one massive loaf. Also, I used white whole wheat flour from Wheat Montana. This stuff is magical and I attribute a big part of the epic success of this loaf to Wheat Montana (I drive by their farm/bakery everyday at work). The recipe is pretty flawless though, you'll still end up with a great loaf with non wheat montana flour. For the beautiful glossy crust brush with egg wash (one egg beaten with a splash of water) before putting in the oven and again 10 minutes before removing from oven.
***I have failed MANY times before reaching this feat. Bread baking is always an adventure, always expect the unexpected. No two loafs will ever be the same, so enjoy each loaf as an individual.
2 envelopes RapidRise Yeast
2 1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 c water
1 1/2 c milk
1/4 c veg oil
1/4 honey (raw if you have it, yum!)
Combine 3 1/2 c flour, undissolved yeast, salt in large bowl. Heat water, milk, honey, oil until very warm (130 F)--I heat until on the verge of boiling and let cool for a minute or two. Gradually add to flour mixture; stir until well mixed. Stir in as much of the remaining flour as you can. Knead for 10-12 minutes, until smooth and elastic. Shape into two loafs (or one awesome giant loaf). Let rise in warm place (oven set to warm, 115F) for 1 to 2 hours. Bake at 375F for 45-50 minutes. It's going to be difficult to dry out this bread so lean on the side of caution and go for over done than under (test doneness: flip loaf over and knock on bottom; you want to hear a hollow sound). Horay! Happy bread baking to all :)
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