A Breadmaker Wheat Bread Recipe

This is a recipe shared by Janice S. from Anne Wilson. This is Anne's answer to a question about making bread in a breadmaker. 

"You have 2 options. 

Option #1 is to set it the dough option and form the loaf yourself, Putting it in a greased bread pan and letting it rise until double in bulk in a very slightly warmed oven with a dish of water.  Then preheat to 375 and bake approx 35 min.  Knock on the bottom of the loaf and it should sound a little hollow.  Lightly brush the top with butter.  Let cool (if you can, LOL) and enjoy.

The problem with bread machines is that they let the dough rise too long.  The gluten strands become too thin, when the bread begins to bake it rises some more and eventually the gluten strands break and your bread collapses.  It's still edible but not pretty.  Your hard crust, make sure your crust setting is on "light".

Option #2. If you want to use your bread machine, this recipe has been just about fool proof when we backed off the yeast amount.  I tried backing off some of the water and it didn't work.  It was the yeast with the long rise time.  Here goes.....

Makes a 1 1/2 lb loaf

Water -(80 degrees) 1 cup plus 2 tbsp

Egg - 1 lg

Honey - 2 tbls

Butter or margerine 2 tbsp

Whole Wheat Flour - 3 1/3 cup

Dry Milk - 2 tbls

Salt - 1 tsp

Yeast - 1 1/2 tsp.  (My yeast is getting old, so I've uped it to 1 3/4 for now)

I use the whole wheat, light crust setting.  When finished baking, lightly brush the top with butter. (Unless you like a crunchy top crust). 

I've worn out a Welbilt (breadmaking machine) and am wearing out another machine.  The Welbilt is notorious in my mind for too much water in their recipes too.  Back off maybe a few drops of water at a time.  The experimenting can drive you nuts, but be of good cheer, you'll get it.  You answer is in the water and yeast, not the flour.  Hard red is an excellent bread flour, no extra gluten needed.  In fact it could make matters much worse.  

Happy baking."