Mom’s Homemade Bread with Raspberry Honey Butter

One of my favorite things to get in the mail is The Baker’s Catalogue. My good friend, Kristen, told me about it several years ago. She also told me about the beauty of using King Arthur Flour. These are my four favorites:

I’m no food scientist, but I really think the things I bake turn out better with King Arthur Flours. Especially homemade bread.

I rarely buy bread from the store–except during the summer and when I’m in the mood for a crusty artisan bread.

You can use half white, half wheat. I like to use the special bread flour because I think the loaves rise higher and that the end product is softer. I also like to use Barley flour and the White Whole Wheat when I have it on hand. Experiment to see what you like best.

My Mom’s Whole Wheat Bread Recipe with Raspberry Honey Butter
Honey Butter recipe from The Lionhouse Cookbook

Ingredients:

For Whole Wheat Bread:

4 cups hot tap water
2 Tbsp. dough enhancer
2 Tbsp. vital wheat gluten
1/3 cup canola oil
1/3 cup honey
1 Tbsp. salt
2 Tbsp. SAF yeast
About 7 cups whole wheat flour

For Raspberry Honey Butter:
½ lb. butter, room temperature (2 sticks or 1 cup)
4 ounces honey
4 ounces good-quality raspberry preserves
½ tsp. vanilla

Instructions:

For Whole Wheat Bread:
Place the dough enhancer and vital wheat gluten in the bowl of mixer. (I use a Bosch.)

Add the hot water. Heat the honey and oil in the microwave until warmed. (Don’t boil.) Add to the water in the mixer. Mix on low speed. Add 3 cups of flour and mix well. Add the yeast. Add the remaining flour slowly. You probably won’t need it all. Only add enough so that the dough comes away from sides of the bowl. Continue mixing for 12 minutes.

Spray 4 or 5 loaf pans** with nonstick cooking spray and preheat oven to 140 degrees and turn off.

Oil a counter top or smooth surface. Pour bread dough out onto the oiled surface. Cut into four or five sections. Roll up each piece and pinch the seam. Place in prepared loaf pan. Let dough rise in the slightly warm oven. When dough has risen 1″ above the pan, about 30 minutes, turn oven on to 350 degrees. Bake loaves until golden brown and internal temperature is 180 degrees. This time can vary greatly. It usually takes mine about 30 minutes.

Remove bread from pans. Let cool on a rack. Good for toast, sandwiches, French toast, and snacking. I often serve it with Raspberry Honey Butter.

For Raspberry Honey Butter:
In a large mixing bowl, use an electric mixer to whip the butter until light and fluffy. Slowly add the honey while mixing. Add the raspberry preserves and vanilla. Continue to whip until completely mixed. (You may have to beat it for a little while if it has separated.)

My Bread Pans:
I love, love, love my Norpro 8″ bread pans. They are non-stick and have little indentations on the surface of the pan. I NEVER wash them with soap and water. I wipe them out with a paper towel while they are hot.