As with all my whole wheat recipes I use a hard white wheat for the best results. The 6 grain mix is a grain mix I get from Honeyville. You could use any rolled grain mix or even just oats.
Add warm water, egg, sugar, salt, gluten, 6 grain mix, and flour to your bread machine. The pictures on this page will show using my kitchen aide mixer. See my note after the recipe regarding machines and mixers. Water should be hot but not hot enough to burn your hands.
Cut butter into 4 approximately equal pieces and place one in each corner of your machine. Make a little well in the middle of your dry ingredients, add yeast to this well.
Set your machine on dough and run the cycle. I check my dough after about 5 minutes of kneading. If the dough seems to dry or wet add a tablespoon of water or flour accordingly.
Knowing the correct feel of bread dough is something comes with practice. When I first started making bread I almost always made my dough too dry. I'd suggest erring on the wet side.... but not too sticky. Usually the measurements I list with this recipe work just about right.
When the machine is done, remove your dough to a lightly floured surface. Knead a few times. Form into a loaf and place in an oiled bread pan. Let rise in a warm place about 10 - 15 minutes.
This time will vary. The dough will approximately double. It should rise just to the top of the pan. Remember the dough will rise more as it bakes. Don't let it rise too much or your bread will be too airy and crumbly.
I let my dough rise right in the oven. I have a gas stove and it works well for me to turn on the oven for about 3-4 minutes or just enough to throw some heat in. The oven will stay warm and the bread will rise nicely.
When the dough has risen turn the oven on 350 and bake until a nice golden brown. This will take about 20 minutes.
I usually make one loaf in my bread machine and then make another batch in my kitchen aide mixer with the bread hook at the same time. I keep an eye on them and coordinate my mixer with the machine.
The bread machine is programmed to knead for a length of time and rest the dough for a length of time. I simply take my cue from it and run the mixer at the same times. Then I can bake both loaves at the same time.