Honey Whole Wheat Bread

I have a mommy friend who once baked me 
the most delicious whole wheat bread using her bread machine.  She made it sound so easy, healthy and economical (she never buys bread for her family anymore!)  I was sold.  So when I got an Oster Expressbake breadmaker for Christmas I couldn't wait to try my first recipe - Honey Whole Wheat Bread. I followed the recipe exactly and 3.5 hours later I opened my bread machine to a loaf as hard as a brick.  I was sad, but determined to fix this recipe.  After researching online I discovered some tips for fluffier bread: add milk in place of some of the water, substitute all purpose flour for some of the whole wheat flour, and add a little more honey.  I tweaked the recipe several times and 5 loaves later I baked the most delicious, fluffy loaf of bread!  

Here is the recipe:

Honey Whole Wheat Bread
1 1/2 pound (12 slices)

Ingredients 
3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon water
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup honey
1 tablespoon plus 1 1/2 teaspoons shortening
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/1/2 cups bread flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 tablespoon dry milk
1 teaspoon bread machine or quick active dry yeast

Measure all wet ingredients and place in bread machine (water, milk, honey, shortening).  Then layer the dry ingredients on top (salt, flours, dry milk). Then make a tiny well in the dry ingredients and place the yeast inside, making sure it does not touch any of the wet ingredients.

Set your bread machine to the whole wheat setting for a 1.5lb loaf and select medium or light crust color.  Press start and in about 3.5 hours you'll have delicious fresh baked bread!