Oh the Joys of Baking.

I have been meaning to make bread for a while now and I finally got the opportunity to make some today. I didn't have school this morning and I didn't have work until 1. (Leisy, are you still looking for a bread recipe? Because I am going to post this one just in case.) This recipe is from the Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book.
Whole Wheat Bread:
3 to 3 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 pkg of active dry yeast
1 3/4 cups water
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
3 tablespoons butter, margarine, or shorting
1 1/4 teaspoons of salt
2 cups whole wheat flour

1. In a large mixing bowl combine 2 cups of all-purpose flour and the yeast; set aside. In a medium size saucepan heat and stir water, brown sugar, butter and salt just until warm (120-130 degrees F) and butter almost melts. Add water mixture to flour mixture. Beat with an electric mixer on low to medium speed for 30 seconds, scraping sides of bowl constantly. Beat on high speed for 3 minutes. Using a wooden spoon, stir in whole wheat flour and as much of the remaining all-purpose flour as you can.
2. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead in enough of the remaining all purpose flour to make a moderately stiff dough that is smooth and elastic (6 to 8 minutes total). Shape dough into a ball. Place in a lightly greased bowl, turning once to grease surface of dough. Cover; let rise in a warm place until double in size (1 to 1 1/2 hours).
3. Punch dough down (punch down the dough by pushing your fist into its center, then using your fingers to pull the dough edges to the center). Turn out onto a lightly floured surface; divide in half. Cover; let rest 10 minutes. Meanwhile, lightly grease two 8x4x2in pans.
4. Shape dough halves into loaves by patting or rolling. To shape by patting, gently pat and pinch, tucking edges underneath. To shape by rolling, on a lightly floured surface roll each dough half into a 12x8 in rectangle. Roll up each rectangle, starting from a short side. Seal seams with your fingertips. ( When shaping it with the rolling technique, I like to put a little honey on it while it is flat and then roll the honey in)
5. Place shaped dough halves in pans. Cover, let rise in a warm place until nearly double in size (30-45 minutes)
6. Bake in a 375 degree oven for 35-40 minutes or until bread sounds hollow when lightly tapped (if necessary, cover loosely with foil the last 10 minutes to prevent overbrowning). Immediately remove bread from pans. Cool on wire racks.