Homemade Bread

I love to make bread, so I actually have three kinds of flour on hand, a large jar of yeast, and all the important fixings for this to be cost effective over purchasing loaves of wheat bread from the store. I recognize that to start out, it would be an investment for some. I also recognize that it would be even more cost effective if I had wheat bins that I ground into flour, but again, this is the very first stage of this process.

This is how I am choosing to "do without" buying bread.

I've made this recipe twice now and I've loved it both times. It gets eaten up and doesn't go bad. I got it from my friend Andrea Wells and it is written from her perspective. It has a few steps and takes several hours, but I've been able to get chores done and even run errands as it is in progress so it fits into the day instead of taking up the whole of it.  I use one cup of whole wheat flour and 3-4 white. Last time I used bread flour and it took almost 1.5 cups more than when I used All-Purpose. Something to consider.

Here's the recipe:

2 cups warm water

1/2 cup milk

Just less than 1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 Tbsp Yeast

*Mix water, milk and sugar.  Sprinkle yeast over surface and let sit until dissolved (~5 min)

1 Tbsp Oil (I use vegetable oil, but canola oil or olive oil probably work fine too)

1 Tbsp Salt

*Mix in oil and salt

5-6 Cups of All Purpose Flour (this recipe works with wheat flour as well, though I think you need a little less flour if you use wheat flour)

*Stir in 3 cups of flour. Knead in remaining flour (leave out last cup and knead in until your dough is only slightly sticky). Knead for a few minutes.

*Cover and let it rise for 1 hour (until about double). 

*Knead the air out of the dough, cover and let sit for 45 minutes.

*Knead the air out again and shape into loaves (makes 2 loaves)

*Place in greased bread pans and rub a small amount of oil on the top of each loaf.

*Let rise for 30 minutes. After those 30 minutes, heat oven to 365 degrees.

*Once oven is hot, bake loaves in center of oven for 30-33 minutes, or until tops of loaves are browned.

Enjoy!