Soaked 100% Whole Wheat Bread

This recipe starts with soaking about half the flour.  Soaking flour in an acid solution breaks down phytic acid making the minerals in bread more bio-available.  
This recipe was adapted from http://www.healthbanquet.com/homemade-bread.html

This recipe will yield 2 large loaves.  A bit more than half the flour is soaked.

Ingredients on day 1

4 cups of freshly ground whole wheat flour

2 1/2 - 3 cups warm water

3 1/2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar or lemon juice

Mix the ingredients together making sure all the flour is moistened.  Cover loosely and let sit at room temp for up to 12-24 hours.  This lets the acid in the vinegar or lemon juice breakdown the phytic acid in the wheat.

Ingredients on day 2

In a mixer (or by hand) mix the flour/water/acid mix with

1/3 cup melted butter (not hot)

1/3 cup honey

1 Tbsp sea salt

1Tbsp yeast

2 1/2 - 3 cups of freshly ground whole wheat flour

Mix and knead until you have a nice supple dough (about 10 minutes by mixer, 20 by hand).  The four you add depends on the day, the flour, and the humidity.  It may be slightly different each time. 

Place in a greased bowl and let rise for about 1 1/2 hours (until is doubles in size).

Punch down the dough and let rise again until double (it won't take as long this time ~ 1 hour).

Grease 2 loaf pans.  Punch down the dough and shape the loaves.  Let them rise until the are about 1-2 inches about the top of the rim of the pan (about 30-45 minutes).  

Preheat the oven to 350 F.

Bake the bread for 20 minutes.  Turn them and bake another 20 minutes.  Cool them out of the pan on a wire rack.  Wait at least 2 hours before slicing.  

I usually double this recipe and freeze the extra loaves.  Wrap well and store in the freezer.  To thaw just leave on the counter overnight.