Bread

We are heading into Thanksgiving season. Turkeys, cranberries, yams, stuffing, green beans, deviled eggs, bread, and pies. We don't do fancy dishes at Thanksgiving, just the usual suspects. They aren't loved any less. I do want to get good at these things. I want to be able to know when to make what without having a cheat sheet of when I should put the stuffing in the oven, and when to start the cranberries so everything is hot and ready at the same time. I am not there yet. I will have a cheat sheet again this year.

This time of year is also baking season for me. It's cold and I like to warm up the house with the oven and the crockpot. I have already baked (and eaten) my fair share of desserts for the season so now I am trying to find a bread recipe we can all live with.

I like knowing what is going into my bread and I like to save money, so I bake our bread. Sometimes the recipes that I come across aren't exactly... flavorful. It seems like the past few months my tastes have changed because all of my breads are coming out too salty or too yeasty or too dry. Those aren't adjectives I want to use when I am describing my bread.

I found this recipe for Amish White Bread. It was good. Crazy good.

Ultimately though, I felt kind of guilty about all the sugar and white flour. I made some small adjustments and this is by far the best tasting bread I have had in a really long time.

 

Daily Bread

 2 Cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C) 

1/3  Cup white sugar

1 1/2 Tablespoons active dry yeast

1 tspn salt

1/4 tspn cinnamon

3 Tablespoons milled flaxseed

1/3 Cup canola oil

4 Cups all-purpose flour

2 Cups whole wheat flour

The process is the same as with most yeast breads.
Mix together yeast, sugar, salt, cinnamon and water and give it a little stir. Once your mixture gets a bit foamy add the flour and oil. Knead the dough until it has a nice elastic to it. Add more flour if you need to. Cover and let the dough rise in a proof box (microwave with a cup of hot water - don't turn the microwave on). I let mine rise for about 2 hours. After 2 hours I split the dough in half and form it into loaves and set the dough in greased loaf pans. Return the loaf pans to the proof box. Cover and let sit. Most recipes will say let rise another 30 minutes. My dough is never right after 30 minutes, so I let mine rise for about an hour to hour and half. Bake at 350 degrees for about 30-35 minutes. If my bread comes out really crunchy, I let it cool then wrap it in foil. It mostly comes out perfectly fine and I just wrap it up in a clean dry kitchen towel.

Few & Cheap

When I look through recipes, I look for two things:

1. Few Ingredients
2. Cheap Ingredients

I have tried so many recipes over the years. Some recipes are fantastic but laborious. The ones that stick with me--the ones that become a part of our lives--are the ones that I can remember and that I can afford. So in an effort to keep our lives and meals simple, we collect and adjust recipes to fit our tastes, patience, and budgets.

Here is my favorite recipe, adapted from the back of a flour bag. I make this once or twice a week and it is unbelievably good.

Honey-Wheat Bread

Ingredients
2 packages regular active dry yeast
1/4 Cup Warm Water
3/4 Cup Honey
2 T Butter
2 teaspoons Salt
1 Cup Oats
3/4 Cup Flaxseed Meal
2 1/2 Cup Warm Water
4 Cup Whole Wheat Flour
2 to 3 Cup All-Purpose Flour
1 T Cooking Oil

Directions
1. Dissolve yeast in 1/4 Cup Warm Water.
2. Mix honey, butter & salt together in a large mixing bowl. Add 2 1/2 Cups warm water.
3. Beat in wheat flour, oats & flaxseed until moistened. Add in dissolved yeast, and stir with spoon.
4. Add all-purpose flour until dough pulls away from the side of the bowl and your dough is no longer sticking to your fingers. Knead dough 5 to 10 minutes on a lightly floured surface.
5. Cover dough with a towel and place in a lightly oiled bowl. Set in a warm spot *see tip below* to rise for about an hour.
6. After the dough has doubled in size, cut it in half. Grease two loaf pans and place dough in bread pans.
7. Cover dough with a towel and set in a warm spot for about 30-45 minutes.
8. Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees. Bake for 30 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees and bake for another 10 to 15 minutes or until loaves sound hollow when you tap on them. Let cool and enjoy.

Makes 2 beautiful loaves.

Tip *Heat 1 Cup of Water in Microwave for 60 seconds. Then place dough in microwave alongside your warm water. It's a perfect warm, moist place for your dough to rise and no little hands will come back and poke at it.*