Homemade Rainbow Wheat Bread

I have dabbled in making my own bread for a few months, but when I spotted a picture of RAINBOW bread on Pinterest, I knew I had to try it. My boys thought this was one of the coolest things that I have ever made! My oldest sons teacher even sent me a note home telling me that his rainbow sandwich was a hit during lunch time. 

If you have ever wanted to try to make your own bread, this is the recipe to start with. It is easy and does not take very long to make.

The recipe makes 2 loaves and is for a basic very soft white bread that could easily be changed to a wheat bread {just use 3 cups wheat flour and 3 cups white flour in place of the 6 cups white flour}.  

Its actually perfect for sandwiches because it stays soft {I wrapped one loaf in press & seal wrap, foil and froze it for later } and is easy to slice into normal sandwich bread thickness.

Ingredients to Make 2 Loaves:

-2 cups warm water 

-2/3 cup sugar

-1 1/2 tsp salt

-1/4 cup canola or vegetable oil

-3 cups all-purpose flour

- 3 cups of whole wheat flour

-1 1/2 tbsp yeast

-food coloring

In a large bowl, dissolve the sugar in the warm water.

After the sugar is dissolved, stir in the yeast.

, Allow the mixture to "proof" until the yeast resembles a creamy foam.

Into the yeast mixture, add the salt and the oil. Gradually mix in the flour, only one cup at a time. On a lightly floured surface, knead the dough until smooth and place in a well oiled bowl, turning the dough to coat. Cover the bowl with a damp cloth and allow to rise until doubled in bulk. This usually takes about one hour.

Once the dough is finished, remove the dough from the pan onto a lightly floured surface. Divide the dough into 6 equal pieces, using a knife.

Mix in the food coloring to each dough ball to get the colors of the rainbow; since the food coloring is liquid you will probably need to mix in a bit more flour with the coloring to keep a nice, not too sticky dough {make sure you keep them separate and you probably don't want to set them on your counter, they may stain it with the colors}:
RED: red food coloring
ORANGE: a combination of red and yellow food coloring
YELLOW: yellow food coloring
GREEN: most basic packages of food coloring have green in them, although if yours doesn't mix a combination of yellow and blue
BLUE: blue food coloring
VIOLET/PURPLE: a combination of red and blue food coloring

 To assemble the RAINBOW, lightly grease your work surface and your rolling pin.
Roll the red out to a roughly 11 x 14 inch rectangle, then place it on another greased surface. Use a knife to cut the dough in half.

Grease 2  9x5 loaf pans.Carefully roll each half into a log. Place into your prepared pans. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Place loaf pans on the top of the oven, cover with a clean kitchen towel and allow to rise about 30-45 minutes (the heat from the preheating oven will help the dough rise). 

Bake for 30 minutes. 

Wait 5-10 minutes and remove bread from pans, place on wire rack to cool completely.