For the past three weeks, I have been experimenting with making bread with my breadmaker, at our 7,200 above sea level altitude. I’ve made rock hard loaves. I’ve made loaves that are soft on the inside but rugged on the outside. But, after many experiments, here is my recipe for honey wheat bread. We’ve enjoyed some very tasty loaves these past several weeks as I’ve fine-tuned the recipe for our altitude.

Vary the flour and liquids in yours until you arrive at what works for you. The rule of thumb is slightly more liquid and up to 25% less flour. (I add vital wheat gluten to my whole wheat loaves to improve elasticity. It makes a noticeable difference in the texture. I’ve read that you should use a tablespoon for every two to three cups of flour, but a teaspoon has served me perfectly well thus far.)

High altitude honey wheat bread recipe (two pound weight)

• 1/12 cups water, room temperature
• 1 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 1/2 T salted butter
• 2 T honey
• 1 3/4 cups bread flour
• 1 3/4 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 tsp wheat gluten
• 2 1/4 tsp bread machine yeastPlace all ingredients, in the order in which they are listed, in your bread pan. Choose the wheat cycle, the 2 lb loaf, and whatever crust you prefer (I like medium.) I don’t usually remove the paddle, but you can certainly do so prior to the baking cycle.

  When the cycles are done, remove the bread and place it on a wire rack to cool completely before slicing. However, warm bread is almost irresistible, so if you slice off an end to see how it turned out, just put some butter and, perhaps, some of the leftover honey on your slice, and enjoy the fruits of your (bread machine’s) labor.

• If you have any tips for high altitude baking or any recipes to share, please share it below!