whole wheat bread

Ok so another one I thought that I had already put up.... apparently not! This is a recipe that I got out of a cookbook that my mom gave me, the one my husband calls my hippy monk book... I love this bread, and the fact that the recipe makes 4 loaves. It uses the sponge method, which I had never used before, and I was a little intimidated the first time, but it's super easy! After a little altering, this is how I make it:

Sponge stage:
6 cups lukewarm water
4 Tbs yeast
3/4 cup sweetening(I use honey, but you could use sugar or whatever)
8 cups whole wheat flour

Pour water into a LARGE bowl, and sprinkle the yeast overtop. Mix lightly with a wisk. Add sweetener, and mix to dissolve. Add in the flour 1-2 cups at a time, stirring until incorporated. Wisk until all the flour is mixed in and creamy. Cover the bowl with a damp towel and set in a warm place to rise. Let rise about 45 minutes. It will get extremely high and overflow all over your counter if you don't use a big enough bowl... believe me! HAHA!

Either fold in, or use your dough hook on your mixer to add in:

2 1/2 Tbs salt
1/2 cup oil(or butter etc)
7 cups whole wheat flour
additional flour for kneading

Once the salt, oil, and flour are incorporated, tip dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead until smooth and even. Place in oiled bowl, cover with a damp cloth, and set in a warm place to rise. Let rise 60 minutes.

Punch down(using your fist push the dough down) about 30 times, then re-cover and rise for another 45 minutes.

Shape your loaves. This is how I do it:

Separate the dough into 4 equal pieces, fold over and push down edges of each piece in a circular motion to making a circle. Roll up the dough and pat the edges to make a log, then roll over and pinch all the edges together. Place into a bread pan seam side up and press down into pan with the back of your knuckles. Flip the dough out and place back in the pan seam side down and repeat pressing. Repeat with the other 3 loaves. Cover and allow to rise 25 minutes from the time you finish the last loaf.

Preheat oven to 350. Make a 1/2 inch slit in each loaf, and brush with egg wash(1 egg plus 1/4 c. water or milk). Bake in preheated oven for 45-50 minutes, or until the loaves are golden brown on the top and has a deep hollow sound when tapped with your finger. Remove from pan immediately, cool completely for easy slicing.

Enjoy! BTW, in case anyone is wondering, my favorite pan to use, the one that turns out the best loaves and is easiest to get the bread out, is a stone loaf pan! :)