When I need some cheering up, a good thing is to get into the kitchen and bake bread. Kneading the dough helps to relieve anxiety and tension, and the baking bread makes the whole house smell good. Actually I pretty much bake ALL the bread we eat. Rarely do I ever purchase store bread. It seems like that stuff has no texture or taste or character. I also rarely bake plain white bread. Most of the bread I bake is whole grain and has some body to it! Here is a recipe I use for a good portion of the bread I bake. It is a very versatile recipe and you can vary it however you wish. I make lots of variations, and every bread seems to come out not only different, but good tasting!
BASIC BREAD AND VARIATIONS
2 cups of liquid - choose from plain water or milk and water or all milk or buttermilk or potato water
or whatever you have - I usually use 1/2 milk and 1/2 water
2 T. honey or brown sugar or molasses (your choice)
2 pkgs (2 T.) dry yeast
1/2 c. warm water
pinch of sugar
2 tsp. salt (sometimes I use a little more)
1/2 stick of butter
1 to 2 cups of "additions" (see note below)
4 to 5 cups or so of bread flour (add one cup at a time as needed)
Proof the yeast in the warm water with a pinch of sugar until foamy (cover the bowl)
Meanwhile in a large bowl, heat the 2 c. liquid, sweetener, salt, and butter in the microwave for about 3 minutes or until very hot and the butter is melted. (If you don't want to use a microwave, heat in a pan)
Then add whatever you like from the additions list. Let it sit until lukewarm and the yeast mix is foamy. Add the two mixtures together and then start adding flour until you have a dough that you can knead.. Knead for about 8 minutes until smooth and elastic. Put in a greased bowl, turn the dough to grease, cover with waxed paper and a towel and let sit to rise until doubled. Punch down and shape into three 8 x 4 loaves and put into greased loaf pans. Let rise until doubled and bake at 400 degrees for 35 minutes. If using rye flour or potatoes, bake for about 38 minutes.
Additions list: Use ONE or TWO or maybe 3, but not too many flavors! Too many flavors muddy the taste!
Choose from:
leftover cooked oatmeal
leftover cooked hot cereal like cream of wheat
leftover mashed potatoes
potato flakes from a package - about 1/2 cup
1 c. bran
1 c. cracked wheat (soaked in the hot liquid in the bowl)
1 c. whole wheat flour
1 c. rye flour
1 c. 7 grain cereal
up to 1/2 c. wheat germ
few tablespoons of barley flour
some ground sunflower seeds (whirl in a coffee grinder)
old fashioned oats or quick oats
cornmeal or corn flour
some of my favorite combinations:
use honey, bran and potato flakes
use molasses, corn meal and a bit of whole wheat
use oats, brown sugar and whole wheat flour
use about 1/2 c. rye flour, potato flakes or leftover mashed potatoes, and honey
You can mix and match however you like. I have found that using potatoes makes for excellent toasting bread. Using honey as a sweetener keeps the bread moist. You could also add an egg if you like to the dough, or use a little more salt. If I am using a combo of whole wheat flour and bread flour only, I use 1 T. of salt. You can also make some of the dough into loaf bread, and some of the dough into shaped dinner rolls. Lately I almost always add a couple tablespoons of barley flour, as I believe it makes the bread taste better.
Here is a photo of the bread I made today with rye flour, bran, honey and a 1/2 c. of leftover mashed potatoes:
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| Three 8 x 4 loaves of delicious Potato/Rye/Bran bread |
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| A close up of the inside. You can see the bits of rye meal and bran in the dough. I try to buy a coarse grind rye flour. Bob's Red Mill has lots of good varieties of flours for bread making. They make a nice coarse rye flour, bran, barley flour and 7 grain cereal. |
Bread never lasts long in our house! Husband Harold loves fresh hot bread, and so do the neighbors. I think they can smell the fresh bread because they seem to show up at my door "just in time"! Bread freezes well, so you can put one or two loaves in the freezer for later use. This bread recipe makes a loaf that is not only good for you, but is packed with 'good' carbs and whole grains, and protein. According to my Mom, she said her father always said - "you pray for your daily bread, so eat it!"
I do hope you will try this recipe soon!
