Perfect Whole Wheat Bread

(From Shellie Hall)

10-12 cups whole wheat flour
2 Tbsp. dry yeast (SAF instant yeast works great)
1/2 cup wheat gluten
4 cups warm water (120-130 degrees)
1/3 cup oil
1/3 cup honey
1 Tbsp. salt

Place 6 cups flour into mixer bowl with kneading arm. Add dry yeast and gluten; mix well. Add water and mix for 1 minute. Cover and let dough sit for 10 minutes. This makes the bread lighter. Add oil, honey, and salt. Turn on mixer and quickly add remaining flour, 1 cup at a time, until dough forms a ball and cleans the sides of the bowl. Knead 7-10 minutes with mixer or by hand 12-15 minutes. Dough should be smooth and elastic.

Preheat oven to 150 degrees. Wet hands with water. Divide dough into four equal portions. Shape and place in nonstick cooking-sprayed pans. Place into warm oven and let rise about 15-20 minutes. When it is almost double in size, turn oven to 350 degrees and bake about 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown. Turn out of pans onto a wire cooling rack immediately. Spray with water, to make crust soft. When it is cool, store bread in plastic bread bags. Freezes well. Makes 4 1-pound loaves.