Lightest 100% Whole Wheat Bread Anywhere!

At least that's the title of the recipe I'm passing along from a compilation my church put out while I was in South Carolina (thanks Bro. Langdon). Unfortunately, I didn't discover it until couple months ago. I have tried so many different whole wheat recipes with no success. Even if they are good when they come out of the oven they taste dry and old the next day. This one stays fresh all week which is how long it takes my family to eat all three loaves that it makes.

To start:
3 T yeast
4 C warm water
4 C whole wheat flour
Mix these ingredients together and let sit until double (usually 15-30 minutes). This step is called a sponge and is very important to allow the yeast to get a head start. If this takes a long time, or doesn't rise at all, your yeast is probably old. You can continue on, but you're bread will be heavy, or you can throw it out now and save yourself wasting the rest of the ingredients.

Add:
1/2 C butter or oil
2/3 C honey or molasses
3 tsp salt
6-8 C whole wheat flour (more for low elevations, less for high..I barely use 6)

Mix this together and knead for 15-20 minutes. Place in oiled bowl, cover, and let rise again until double (about 30 min). Punch down and shape in pant. Cover and let rise again until double (20-30 min). Bake at 350 for 30 min. Oil/butter top of bread for a nice shiny crust.

Just some side notes: The bread rises faster in warm humid conditions. I'm in a cold dry house, so I cover it with a warm moist cloth. If not, it still rises, but it takes longer. Also I have found that if I knead the dough for 15-20 minutes it get way to tough...5-10 minutes works for me...too much muscle I guess..haha.