Basic Wheat Bread Recipe

I don't buy much bread because the list of ingredients on most of them is as long as my arm. Good bread should only have a handful of ingredients- wholegrain flour, sugar, salt, yeast, and maybe some gluten. So most of the time I make my own. This recipe is my basic wheat bread recipe. It is easily altered to suit your tastes. When I was switching my family from useless white bread over to whole grain, I devised this recipe to ease them into it. At first I used 3 cups of bread flour and 1 cup of whole wheat, then each time I made it I would use a little more whole wheat and a little less white bread flour until I got them used to it with all whole wheat flour. My picky daughter now loves whole grain bread. When making it with all whole wheat flour I sometimes add 1-2 T. of gluten to make the bread lighter and less dense. To increase the nutrition, I often add a tablespoon or two of ground flaxseed to this. I use a bread machine for mixing, but you can also do it by hand. I bake it in the oven rather than in the bread machine, the crust is better this way. One of the best things about making your own bread is how wonderful it makes your home smell!