Great Harvest Honey Whole Wheat Bread Copycat

When I was in highschool, there were a few different foods that I lived on.

Bread was one of them.  There were two different bread companies around, one of those was Great Harvest.  You could go there and get a free sample of bread, which happened to be a GIANT slice of bread.  Every single bread was delicious.  One of my favorites was the raspberry swirl (which I still need to find a copycat version for - if anyone has one - let me know)!  A free slice of bread was the perfect lunch for a highschooler, because that meant more gas money for cruising around town.  Eventually they started charging 25 cents for a slice.

I have been eating a lot of wheat bread lately.  I had been making my go-to bread machine wheat bread, but then I found this Great Harvest copycat  recipe a few months ago.  I am not going to lie to you - I like this new recipe better!  My other recipe is still delicious and I still make it a few times a month, but this new recipe is AMAZING!  There is no oil or butter and no dough enhancers, but for some reason it stays fresh twice as long as my other recipe.  It is so tasty, super hearty, very moist and it is 100% whole wheat.  It might just be the perfect wheat bread (in my opinion)!

I haven't had Great Harvest's wheat bread for years, so I can't remember what it tastes like, but the blog that I got this recipe from says that it tastes EXACTLY like Great Harvest's.  Now, I am not saying this is their recipe, because I have no idea what their recipe is, but this bread is so good and you have got to give it a try.

Great Harvest Whole Wheat Bread Copycat

adapted from: Find It Love It Share It

(Printable Recipe)

1 1/2 Tbl. instant yeast

2 c. warm water

1/3 c. honey

3 - 4 c. whole wheat flour

1 1/2 tsp. salt

1/8 - 1/2 c. any add-ins (oats, sunflower seeds, 

       ground flax seeds, etc.)

Combine yeast, water and honey; let sit for 5 minutes or until frothy and bubbly.  Add salt, add-ins and  1 1/2 cups of flour.  Add remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, until you get a soft dough.  The dough should barely pull away from the sides of the bowl and it will still be a little sticky.  Knead for 4 minutes on low, cover and let rise until doubled.  Punch down and shape into a large loaf (spray hands with cooking spray).  Put in a greased loaf pan and let rise again until doubled.  Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.  

*If you use freshly ground wheat flour, you might need to add more like 5- 5 1/2 cups of flour.

Jenn's Notes: This bread is delicious.  I think it tastes best when made in my mixer, but I have also tried it in the bread machine and it will work, but it will be a little more chewy.  I usually add 1/2 cup oats and sometimes I will add a few tablespoons of sunflower seeds.  This makes one large loaf.