Bread

Right now my favorite bread recipe is adapted from a French Bread recipe in the Palmer Family Cookbook
You can make it with all white flour or a combination of whole wheat and white flour.  When I use whole wheat I start with 3 cups whole wheat and 3 cups white flour, and then after the sponge I add 3 cups whole wheat and then however much white it takes to finish the dough.

5 cups hot water
1/3 cup oil
1/3 cup honey
1 to 1 1/2 T Salt
6 cups flour
3 T yeast sprinkled on top
 (the French Bread recipe called for  4 T of yeast - which works good when I use all white flour and 1 1/2 T of salt, but when I make it part whole wheat I use only 1 T salt and 3 T of yeast. 4 T makes it too light and crumbly)

Mix for 10 minutes
Sponge for 10 to 15 minutes

Add 4 cups of flour and start kneading (mixing) again for a total of 8 to 10 minutes
(in the Bosch you need to change to speed 2 at this point)

Keep adding flour until the dough cleans the side of the bowl.

Immediately shape into loaves.  Let rise for 20 to 30 minutes before baking.

I usually form the loaves and set my timer for 15 minutes.  When 15 minutes is past I start heating the oven to 400 degrees. and by the time the oven is hot the bread is ready to go in.

Put the bread in the 400 oven, set the timer for 30 minutes then change the heat setting to 350 degrees to bake.

To make Jalapeno Cheddar bread I add 1 to 2 cups of chopped Jalapeno and about 4 cups of shredded cheddar cheese in the last 2 minutes of kneading.