Mix:
7 C. Flour (I use 100% Hard White Wheat)
2/3 c. vital wheat gluten
2 1/2 T SAF instant Yeast
5 C. warm Water (like you'd use for a nice bath)
Mix together first 3 ingredients in a mixer with a dough hook. Then add the water all at once and mix for 1 min. on speed one. Cover and let rest for at least 10 min. ( This is called "sponging". We find it best if you can let it sponge for about an hour. After sponging, mix the dough again for just a moment to redistribute the yeast.
Add:
2/3 c. oil
2/3 c. honey
2 T Salt
Mix for one minute to thoroughly incorporate into the dough.
Add:
5 C. of whole wheat flour
Add 1 C. of flour at a time, beating in between each cup until dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl. If it is very, very mushy, add more flour. It should just clean the sides and bottom of the bowl--this is the most important sign. It will look much softer than you think it should look. It should not look like a tight ball of dough. If it does, add more water, a little at a time. You may not need to add the whole 5 extra cups of flour...This is the hardest part, once you get this down, you've got it made.
Knead for 10 min (we prefer 5-8 min) I knead at a power level 3 out of 4 on my Bosch. Turn off the mixer and scrape out all your dough onto your work surface. Make sure it is oiled and not floured. Also, oil your hands so they don't stick to the dough.
Preheat oven to lowest setting (around 200) and then turn oven OFF. Divide dough, (we usually use the Medium bread pan and get 3 loaves out of a batch) shape and place into oiled (like "pam" or "vegeline") bread pans, put in oven.(Make sure oven is off) Let dough rise in warm oven for 15-30 min. Turn oven on to 350F and bake for about 25 Min. Remove from pans and cool on racks.
We have "tweeked" this recipe a few times to get it just right, I'm sure you'll have to play with it a bit as well. The good news is...it always tastes great even if it doesn't look pretty all the time.
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