I love baking bread. It’s one of those things that just makes a house smell wonderful. I try all kinds and grains, and actually have a lot of different flours to use. This recipe turned out to be one of the best.

Not too long ago I went shopping with a friend and we stopped by an Amish /Mennonite market. Besides all the wonderful spices I chose, I of course went to peruse the wall of cookbooks. I ended up putting 3 in my cart: one just for vegetables “The Practical Produce Cookbook” , one called “Cooking with the Horse and Buggy People” and ” The Basics and More Cookbook“. The latter is a compilation of recipes from moms and grandma’s, recipes handed down, use for church suppers, or made for giving. These recipes are always the best- things real people make, and are well loved, so they don’t mind sharing the recipe. And all 3 of these cookbooks were spiral bound, so they lay flat when opened, a plus in my book.

When I found a wheat bread recipe with honey in the Basics and More cookbook, I just knew I had to try it. I’ve tried other honey wheat bread recipes, but a new thought occurred to me. And although I have plenty of honey on hand, I have a lot more maple syrup that we bought this year. Two gallons in fact. I’ve never baked bread using maple syrup, but why not? It is, after all, basically sugar, just like honey.

It’s a simple enough bread recipe, and most likely you have on hand what you need, if you bake much bread at all. I altered the recipe slightly to use bread flour, which will help it rise and produce more gluten than all purpose flour. And maybe I add closer to 2 tbsp of yeast than 2.5 tsp per packet. It’s all good, however you want to do it.

I’m thinking this would be great with oat flour or 7 grain flour too…. maybe next time.

I use warm water from the tap, or heat it up in a microwave for a few seconds, just enough to get it above 100F, warm to the touch. Too hot, and it will kill your yeast.

And while I used my Kitchen Aid stand mixer, you can certainly mix this up and knead all by hand. I do not add salt until some of the flour in in, wheat flour here, because salt added directly to yeast can kill it too. No live yeast, no rise to the dough.

As with most bread, once the mixing is done the waiting begins. Waiting for the dough to double, and with this bread, to double again a second time. Dump out on a lightly floured surface, turn and knead a few times, and put in back into the greased bowl. Turn over and spray the top with cooking spray to keep it moist. The second rise was much faster though.

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By the time the bread is shaped into loaves and put in the pans, the last rise is maybe 30 minutes, depending of course on the warmed and humidity in your kitchen. I like to let bread rise in a barely warm oven, or by setting the bowl on a heating pad. Just enough warmth to make that yeast grow and puff up the dough.

You can start to preheat the oven when you see the dough rising above the edges of the pans.

And when your done – the whole house smells great, and you have lovely bread to eat!

If you have problems, just remember:

• Water only just warm, about 100F
• Make sure the yeast proofs and bubbles
• Add all the ingredients except all the flour at once. Depending on your kitchen, humidity, and temperature, your bread may need more or less flour than the recipe calls for. Add about all the flour but the last cup, and then add that gradually until dough forms and starts to pull together in a ball.
• Kneading with the4 mixer is okay, but I find I have a much better connection to the dough to knead at least a few minutes by hand. Kneading only on a lightly floured surface, so as to not incorporate too much flour. Once fully kneaded, the dough will be soft and pliable.
• Lastly – HAVE FUN. So what if it looks lopsided, had over-proofed and deflated a little, or doesn’t rise as much as you would like. I bet it still tastes fabulous!