Whole Wheat Bread

You know how realtors always suggest that people bake a batch of chocolate chip cookies before hosting an open house so that the smell might entice people to be more likely to make an offer? Well, I'm quite certain that baking a fresh loaf of bread would have the same effect. From the first step of dissolving the yeast to cooling it on the racks, it smells delicious throughout. And boy, does that smell linger--but in a totally amazing way. And in a way that entices you to eat not one, not two, but three slices of bread within two hours of pulling it out of the oven. Good thing this recipe makes two loaves.

Whole Wheat Bread
(recipe delightfully borrowed from here)

2 1/3 cups warm water
1 1/2 tbsp active dry yeast
1/4 cup honey
4 tbsp butter, melted
2 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup toasted wheat germ
3 cups whole wheat flour
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

In the bowl of a stand mixer, mix the water, yeast, and honey. Let sit for about ten minutes. Add in the butter and salt with a rubber spatula. Mix in the wheat germ and one cup of each flour. Attach the dough hook and knead on low while adding the remaining flour. Continue kneading until dough is smooth and elastic, about eight minutes. Transfer to a lightly floured surface and knead for about thirty seconds to make sure dough is soft and smooth. Lightly grease a large bowl with oil and place the dough inside. Cover with a cloth or plastic wrap and let rise in a warm, draft-free place until doubled in size, about one hour (I always use my oven--I'll preheat it at the lowest temperature then turn it off once it's preheated and allow some of the heat to escape before placing the bread inside). Gently press the dough down and divide into two equal pieces. On a lightly floured workspace, press each piece into a rectangle and roll up into a cylinder (roll from the short side of the rectangle). Press the ends under and pinch the seam shut, then place seam-side down into a greased loaf pan. Cover the loaf pans and let rise until doubled in size, about twenty to thirty minutes. Bake at 375* for about thirty-five minutes; remove from pans immediately and place on a wire rack to cool.

Since I can't send the smell through the internet (and, regrettably, the smell has already dissipated from our house since I made this a few days ago), I'll have to use this picture to entice you to make this bread. See that steam coming off the freshly cut slices? And that melting pat of butter? You know you want this bread.