Our Favorite Whole Wheat Bread

I thought I would share with you my family's favorite whole wheat bread. This is the bread I make most weeks for our "soup and bread night", especially when I am running short on time. It is a recipe for the bread machine that produces a delicious loaf every time.

Note: my bread machine is the type where you add the wet ingredients first, you may need to adjust the order of ingredients if yours is different. This recipe is for a 1 1/2 pound loaf.

Whole Wheat Bread

1 1/8 cups water
2 Tablespoons canola oil
3 Tablespoons honey
1 1/2 cups enriched bread flour
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1/4 cup nonfat dry milk powder
3 Tablespoons ground flax seeds (or other seeds such as chia or sesame)
1 Tablespoon wheat gluten
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons SAF* yeast or 2 1/2 teaspoons bread machine yeast

Place all of the ingredients in the bread machine pan. Set the crust for medium and use the basic or whole wheat cycle. Press start. When the bread is done, remove the bread from the pan and cool on a rack.

Makes 48 servings bread/bread alternate for 1-5 year old children at any meal or snack.

*SAF yeast can be purchased from King Arthur Flour. It is not only the most economical yeast I have found (about 6 dollars for a package that makes 96 loaves of bread), but it also gives the best results in bread machines. I keep mine in the freezer in an airtight container and have found that it keeps very well and can be added straight from the freezer to the bread machine.