Ingredients:

(Yield – 4 good sized loaves)

(Recipe can be halved for 2 loaves (everything is halved) – this is an easy way to start)

½ cup of Becel or Celeb
½ cup of brown sugar
2 tablespoons of salt
2 tablespoons of instant yeast
2 teaspoons of white sugar
1 cup of luke warm water
1 ½ cups of either 1% / 2% or skim milk – doesn’t matter
2 ¼ cups of cold water
6 cups of whole wheat flour
6 cups of white flour (or 5 cups, plus 1 cup of 7 grain flour)

You will need 3 containers
In a small container add 1 cup of luke warm water, 2 teaspoons of sugar and mix well. Gently add 2 tablespoons of instant yeast, cover and set aside for a few minutes.

In a large bowl, put ½ cup of brown sugar and 2 tablespoons of salt – set aside

In a measuring container (4 cup one is best) pour 1 ½ cups of milk and add ½ cup of Becel. Place in microwave and cook on high for 2:45 seconds (reduce to 1 minute and 45 seconds if halving the recipe to 2 loaves). After Becel is melted, whip it ( with milk) for 15 seconds, by hand, then pour it into the big bowl with the brown sugar and salt. Mix it well ( 25 seconds) until the sugar dissolves, then add 2 ¼ cups of cold water above; mix for about 10 seconds. Then uncover the yeast mixture, mix it for about 10 seconds, then add it to the big bowl.

Now add 6 cups of whole wheat flour, mix with a big stiff wooden spoon for about 1 minute – careful not to spill the flour at the start, and near the end, don’t be too gentle. Now add 5 ½ cups of white flour ( keep the remaining ½ cup aside for later), and stir / roll mixture the mixture as best as you can for 2 minutes or so. Then flour the counter top lightly, and dump the big mixture over the floured section, place big bowl aside as the bread will rise in it later.
Start kneading the bread, as I illustrated. Be fairly gentle at the start until the mixture starts to come together in a big ball. Keep your hands well floured, as well as the counter and ball (from the ½ cup of flour set aside). Knead ( by rotating the mixture) for about 4 or 5 minutes, again flouring as needed ( if starts to stick).
Come on to it – don’t be gentle; during the last couple of minutes.
Turn oven on – 200 for only 15 seconds – then turn off. Lightly flour the big bowl and place mixture in it, cover it with a slightly damp dish towel, and place in (dark) oven to rise for 1 hour and 15 minutes.

After the first rise, take out and with your fist beat it down in the bowl, then place on floured counter top, cut in 4 equal pieces, knead each one for about 30 seconds, ending in 4 balls ( to be loaves). Cover and let “rest” for about 15 minutes – they will double in size. Then shape into loaves, place in 4 Beceled (greased) bread pans, place in slightly warmed (15 seconds again) oven, cover and let rise for 60 minutes.

At the 60 minute mark, take bread out and pre heat the oven to 400 degrees. In about 4 or 5 minutes the oven is ready, place 3 pans in the back, pointing out and the remaining pan at the front at right angles. Set timer for 12 minutes. At the 12 minute mark, rotate all 4 loaves, in the event there is a hot spot in your oven, which is most common. Cook bread for another 13 minutes (25 in all), remove one pan at the end of the 25 minutes, flip it upside down and remove it from the pan, tap it on the bottom – if done, there will be a hollow sound, if not done, it will be spongy and no sound (if that is the case, put back in pan and in oven for another 3 minutes – remove, then try to tap again. When done,  turn off the oven and remove all bread loaves from the pans and place on cooling racks. It will take about 60 minutes to cool for either bagging or freezing, anything less than that will condensate.. after about 15 minutes the bread can be cut to sample – anything less than 15 minutes, the still warm bread will squish and it will be difficult to cut evenly.

Cheers ;o)