Who is with me? I am a huge bread lover, and could easily eat it with every meal. Not surprising, my son could live off bread and olive oil. His favorite bread is honey wheat, so I came up with this recipe a couple of years ago. It is a wonderful everyday bread, and makes the house smell great. I always feel like Fred Flintstone when the smells fills the air. Do you remember that show? Every time Wilma would cook, he would involuntarily follow the smell of food. Anyway, I always think of that when there are yummy food smells in the air 😉 Seriously though, if you want a delicious bread, give this a try.
Notes
#1 Make a large batch at once and freeze. Slice the bread and store in a freezer safe container. Take out one slice at a time, defrost and toast. It should keep for several months.
#2 This bread is great with olive oil, spreads, nut butters (check out Zoale's nut butter recipes) or as sandwiches or paninis, or eaten plain.
Ingredients
- 3 cups all purpose flour (I use unbleached)
- 2 ½ cups whole wheat flour
- 4 Tbsp ground golden flax seeds
- 2 ½ tsp. salt
- 4 tsp. active dry yeast (almost 2 packets)
- 1 cup warm water (not hot)
- 1 cup slightly warmed milk (2% milk fat or higher)
- 2 Tbsp olive oil and more for greasing pans (I use extra virgin)
- 3 ½ Tbsp honey
Instructions
- Sift the all-purpose flour, and then add the ground flaxseed and salt and stir well with a whisk. In a separate bowl, sift the whole wheat flour. Set both flours aside.
- Add the warm water to a warmed mixer bowl and sprinkle yeast on top. Let sit for 3-5 minutes to ensure it is dissolved. Add the milk, honey, and oil, followed by the flour (starting with the all-purpose and ending with the whole wheat). Using the dough hook, mix on low until the dough begins to come together (about 1.5 minutes). Turn off and let rest for about 10 minutes. On low, knead the bread for 3 to 4 minutes until it springs back when poked and passes the windowpane test. Check the dough along the way, and add moisture if needed during the kneading process. Whole wheat flour will soak up moisture.
- Form a ball and place it in an oiled bowl and lightly oil the dough on top. Cover and let rise in a warm draft-free spot for 1 hour or until doubled in bulk. Very gently punch down the dough. Take out of the bowl and split into two. Place each into a greased 9 by 5 loaf pan. Form the dough to the pan, and ensure it fits well. Cover and let rise for 45 minutes to 1 hour in a warm draft-free spot or until the dough almost reaches the top of the pan.
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees when the rising process is about 15 minutes away from being complete.
- Slash the loaves on top several times with a sharp knife, and then place in the preheated oven. Let the bread bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes, and then reduce the heat to 375 degrees, and bake for an additional 20 to 25 minutes. The bread should be golden brown and the internal temperature should reach 190 degrees (if measuring).
- Remove from oven and place on cooling racks immediately. Brush the loaf tops with extra virgin olive oil for color. Let sit for 30 minutes at least before cutting (if you can). After one day, place in the refrigerator. Enjoy!
I am excited to bring my bread to Fiesta Friday #159! The lovely co hosts this week are Zeba @ Food For The Soul and Jhuls @ The Not So Creative Cook
Hi Antonia-nothing better than a slice of fresh baked warm bread! Oh Yum.
Hi Cheryl 😀 Yes, I agree, there is nothing like bread right out of the oven! Have a fantastic day!
I know what I’m doing this afternoon. This looks great, Antonia. My husbands going to be so happy when he gets home from work 🙂 Thanks for the tip on freezing too. I freeze store-bought bread and don’t know why I never considered freezing my own.
That’s great, I hope you enjoy it Diana! It is hard to resist when it comes out of the oven, I think he will be thrilled 😀 You’re welcome! Let me know if you have any questions and have a great rest of your day 😀
How delicious Antonia! My mom would always make bread for us growing up and I remember the house filling with the smell of a fresh loaf baking in the oven… just divine! I’d take homemade bread over supermarket bread any day! Yours looks just scrumptious 🙂
Thank you Heather! It’s a great smell, isn’t it! Have a wonderful rest of your day 😀
Oh yummy. I love freshly baked bread 🙂
Thanks Lynne 😀 Me too, it’s the best!
When I was girl before my Mom went back to work she would bake bread weekly for the family. Oh how I loved baking day! The house smelled wonderful, and there was always a slice of fresh out of the oven bread slathered with fresh butter to be had. 🙂
Your loaves look beautiful!
What wonderful memories Deborah! I bet is was delicious! Thank you 😀
Looks so delicious. My Grandma also added honey to her bakes – my grandpa was a beekeeper 🙂
Thank you Inese! Wow, I bet her food was incredible with fresh honey. I wish I had the courage to be a beekeeper. Have a wonderful Friday!
Enjoy your weekend, and delicious food ! 🙂
Thank you Inese!
That looks yummy. I used to make home-made bread, which lasted a day. If that. Fresh hot bread with butter is amazing.
Thanks Jacqui! Ha ha, I understand that! There really is nothing like it 😀 Have a fantastic day!
Even with all the health concerns bread stirs up, I believe that most of us can enjoy a beautiful recipe like this in small amounts to satisfy the taste buds without causing GI ramifications. Looks wonderful. Looking forward to test the scent in the house! 🙂
I agree, I believe that moderation is key. Thank you so much Dr. Jonathan! I hope you enjoy it as much as we do 😀
Smell is one of the strongest association sensations. As you can see from the comments, just from mentioning the aroma of homemade bread, one can instantly recall loving memories… simple things, but precious, we tend to forget under every day’s pressure.
I don’t know about you, but it seems to me that is more and more difficult to buy a decent loaf of bread ( let alone a great one). I don’t know whether they are saving on the quality of the ingredients or the flour isn’t as it used to be. Then, you visit a small village and you find a bakery with that divine smell, right from the entrance…
Sorry, I got carried away; but for a bread lover it is a frustrating new reality.
Well done madame 🙂
It really is amazing how closely food is tied to memories. I completely agree, the stores are filled with mediocre bread. It is hard to mass produce good bread. But, when you have a local bakery that makes it fresh daily…well, there is no comparing. I enjoy making my own, but I have so much to learn. Thank you so much Spira and have a wonderful weekend!
Any kind of baking makes the house smell wonderful, but there’s something very special about bread. I can just imagine the glorious smells you describe – and what a great recipe! I’ve never used flax seeds in bread-making, so I’m keen to give it a go. Your tips on freezing are great, too. 😀
I agree, the smell of bread is so distinct and intoxicating. Thank you Millie! I like adding it for the extra nutrition and good fat. If you get a chance to make it, I hope you enjoy it as much as we do. Have a fantastic weekend 😀
This looks lovely! I’m still so intimidated about baking bread. I have but only using a bread machine. I used to watch the Flintstones all the time! I can picture Fred inhaling deeply, haha, good memories! 🙂
Thank you Anita! I shied away from it for many years too, it really can be intimidating. There are so many factors that can impact the outcome. I loved the Flintstones growing up. I played an episode for my kids recently. Unfortunately, they were not impressed. Have a wonderful weekend 😀
You’re so right about the smell of baking bread Antonia (and that Fred Flinstone!). These are gorgeous loaves!! I’m sure my Larry would love them– and I could live on bread and butter!! Thanks for the recipe– complete easy instructions! take care…
Yes, the smell is amazing 😀 Thank you Rhonda and you’re welcome! Have a great weekend!
Hi Antonia– I am having a great weekend– visiting my daughter in Wisconsin–so much fun eating and talking and shopping. Hope you are in the middle of a refreshing weekend too– any plans?? xox
It sounds like a wonderful time Rhonda! We have just been busy around the house and doing stuff with the little ones. It went by way too fast though 😉 Have a wonderful week!
Thanks Antonia– weekends do that– slip by too fast! take care… xo
😀
I have to try this yumm
Thank you Lynn, I hope you enjoy it! Have a fabulous weekend!
Does anyone not like bread? I would eat it all the time too – it is one of the most rewarding things to bake.
You are right, it is amazing Judi 😀
Bread is a staple here. Thanks for this recipe… 🙂
You’re welcome, I hope you enjoy it as much as we do Maniparna!
I love bread, too. I could eat it everyday and you could do many things with bread. This looks amazingly delicious! Thanks for sharing at this week’s FF!
Me too, I love bread! Thank you so much Jhuls! Happy Fiesta Friday and have a wonderful week 😀
Looks like a perfect loaf of bread…thanks for sharing and have a great weekend!
Thank you Zeba, you are so sweet! It has been nice 😀 I hope your weekend has been wonderful too, and have a great week!
Gorgeous!!
Thank you so much Mollie! Have fabulous week 😀
My bread-loving heart is doing flip flops just looking at those loves. We love honey-wheat and I’ll be giving your recipe a try.
Thank you Julie, you are too funny! That’s great, I hope you enjoy it as much as we do 😀 Have a great start to your week!
Honey-wheat is one of my favorites too! I’ve never tried baking bread with flaxseed so I’ll have to give your recipe a try!
It’s delicious, isn’t it? That’s great, I hope you love it as much as we do 😀 Have a wonderful day!
Antonia,
Perfect timing! We are just crazy about bread in my family too and I was looking for a good honey wheat bread recipe. Will definitely try this!
Very cool Sandhya! I hope you enjoy it as much as we do. I love yummy bread with a healthy spin! Have a fantastic day!
What a tasty looking loaf of bread. Cool!
Thank you so much Liz!