Saturday, November 5, 2011

~The Best Darn Homemade Bread~

Really, though. I have been trying recipe after recipe, and I can honestly say that this is truly my own. I made it up as I went and, well, my hubby and I scarfed down two whole loaves this past week. Winner! Jeremy used to complain that my past bread recipes weren't good sandwich bread because it didn't stay together well after cutting it. This bread will stay together just fine and tastes delicious for sandwiches. So I hope you enjoy. In my humble opinion, homemade bread is a thousand times better than storebought bread. I don't like storebought bread anymore. And I like knowing there are very few ingredients in my food. Here you go!



you'll need:

1 1/4 c. warm water
2 Tbs. honey
1 Tbs. yeast
1/2 Tbs. salt
1/2 Tbs. dough enhancer
1/2 Tbs. oil
about 3 cups flour (half red wheat, half white wheat)


get busy:

1. Proof the yeast: Combine 1/2 c. warm water (too hot will ruin yeast) yeast, and a sprinkle of sugar in a bowl. The sugar helps the yeast rise. Let rise for about 10 minutes. Now I make my own flour by taking whole wheat kernels and putting it in my Blendtec. If you don't have this option, you can buy it already processed. It's just healthier to grind it yourself. Click here to learn why!

2. While the yeast is rising, in your mixer, combine the rest of the water, honey, dough enhancer and oil. Add the yeast. Then add a cup or two of flour. Next add the salt. You want to avoid adding the salt right on top of the yeast because it could kill the yeast, and then you'll end up with lead bread (no fun and no good). Add the rest of the flour, and knead for 10 minutes. Helpful tip: You want to add enough flour that when the mixer is going, the dough pulls away from the side of the bowl and the side looks almost clean. But, if you add too much flour, your bread will be dry.

3. On a clean surface, pour some vegetable oil and spread around with your hand (take off your wedding ring!). Take your dough and place on the oiled surface and spread it out in a big square shape. The dough is kind of pull back together which means it was kneaded well. Fold the dough in thirds and push down on it to squeeze out any air bubbles. Tightly roll up your dough and place in a oiled grease pan.

4. Let the dough rise, covered for about 30 minutes, or until the dough reaches the top of the bread pan. Remove cover, and cook in the oven at 350 for about 35 minutes or until golden brown. Once it's done, I like to rub some butter on the top which makes it shiny and yummier, but this is totally optional. Take the bread out of the pan after a few minutes. Wait until the bread cools to put in a bag. All done. This recipe makes 1 loaf.

It looks like a lot of work, but I promise it hardly takes any time at all. Helpful tip: Don't have a bunch of time every week to make your own bread? Double or triple the recipe and make 2 or 3 loaves and freeze the others. When you take them out of the freezer, they taste just as fresh. If you're going to take the time to make your own bread, make a few at a time. It takes maybe 5 extra minutes to make the other loaf. So worth it! I made 3 loaves at my padres' last week. :-) Enjoy.



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