And for those who don't have a bread machine...

Here -- for Tonya, Ping, and anyone else who would like to try this without a bread machine, is the great recipe for:

WHOLE-WHEAT BREAD

1 envelope dry yeast
1/4 cup warm water
1 cup milk
3 Tblsp. butter or margarine
3/4 cup cold water
1 Tblsp. salt
1/2 cup honey or molasses (I prefer molasses)
3 cups whole wheat flour
3 1/2 to 4 cups all-purpose flour
(optional) 1/2 cup wheat germ or raw sunflower seeds

Dissolve yeast in warm water in a large bowl. Scald the milk [this means to bring it just to boiling; watch it carefully!] in a saucepan. Turn off the heat, add the butter and let it melt, then add the cold water, salt, and honey or molasses, and let mixture sit until lukewarm.

Add milk mixture to dissolved yeast in bowl. Add whole wheat flour and optional ingredients and mix well. Add all-purpose flour until the dough is no longer sticky and you can knead it easily. Knead [on a floured surface] for 10 minutes, adding more flour occasionally if necessary to keep it from sticking. Set the dough in a greased bowl, turning to coat all sides of dough. Cover with plastic wrap or a damp towel and let rise in a warm place for an hour to an hour and a half, until double in size.

Punch dough down, form into 2 loaves, and place in 2 greased 8-inch loaf pans. Set these back in the warm place, covered, until the loaves rise no more than 1/2 inch above the rims of the pans. Bake at 375ºF. for 35 to 40 minutes or until done. Take the loaves out of the pans and let them cool on wire racks.

Yield: 2 8-inch loaves.

Hope you all enjoy this recipe [source: THE HUNGRY HIKER'S BOOK OF GOOD COOKING, by Gretchen McHugh] as much as we do!