I love this whole wheat bread recipe! It is light but chewy and has a hint of sweetness and salt at the same time.

1 tablespoon yeast                            1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2 1/2 cups warm water                      9 cups organic whole wheat flour (approximately)

1 cup warm milk                               2 teaspoons salt

1 cup warm cream                            1 egg

1/3 cup brown sugar                         2 tablespoons water

1/2 cup butter, melted

• Grease a large bowl and set aside.
• In another large bowl, dissolve the yeast in the water, milk and cream. Let stand for 5 minutes or until the yeast begins to foam. Add the brown sugar, butter, honey, salt and vanilla and mix well.
• Begin adding the flour to the wet mixture, stirring with a wooden spoon. Keep adding flour until you are able to pick up the dough and knead by hand on a floured countertop. Knead for 8- 10 minutes.
• Place the kneaded dough into the greased bowl and cover with a damp tea towel. Put the bowl in a warm dry place or in your oven on the proof setting and let it rise for 1 hour.
• Punch down the dough and divide it into 2 portions (or more if you are making rolls or smaller loaves).
• Butter two 9-inch loaf pans (I use high quality stoneware from Pampered Chef for a crisp crust and more even baking). Form the dough into loaves and place them in the pans. Allow these to rise for 1 hour.

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
• To make an egg wash, beat together the egg and water and brush over the dough (or if you prefer, you can skip this step and brush melted butter over the loaves when they come out of the oven). Bake the loaves for about 35 minutes or until golden brown.
• Remove loaves from oven and allow to cool for 30 minutes. Remove loaves from the pans and let them cool for an additional 30 minutes on a wire rack.    Yield: 2 loaves