Fresh Bread

“Give us this day our daily bread.”  Matthew 6:12

When you are unemployed( see post A Budgeting Blessing) with six kids and a house payment to still make, you really start to appreciate your daily bread.  And when you pray over your food, your level of gratitude deepens.  And for that lesson, I am grateful.

In this life, it is so important that we turn to Jesus Christ, who is the bread of life. In John 6:35 we read, “And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.”

When we allow Jesus Christ into our lives every day, he will fill us up spiritually.  I hope you will take the time to watch this beautiful video, put out by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, about how that Savior can help strengthen us and lead us daily.

Reaching up to Him in Faith

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Today is recipe day!  My mom taught me to make bread when I was young.  It is something that I LOVE.  I love the smell of fresh baked bread.  It just makes me happy.  I hope you enjoy this recipe.

Homemade Bread

3 C Very warm water, divided

2 TBSP Granulated sugar

1 TBSP Salt

2 TBSP Saf Yeast <a href="http://Saf Instant Yeast, 1 Pound Pouch (2-Pack)” target=”_blank” rel=”noopener”>Saf instant yeast 2-pack

2 TBSP Olive Oil

6 C unbleached white flour, divided

2 C fresh ground whole wheat flour ( <a href="http://NutriMill Classic 760200 High Speed Grain Mill, 1200 Watt, 5 Cups Per Minute” target=”_blank” rel=”noopener”>Nutrimill Classic high speed grinder)

I love my <a href="http://Bosch MUM6N10UC Universal Plus Stand Mixer, 800 Watt, 6.5-Quarts with Bowl Scraper and Cake Paddles” target=”_blank” rel=”noopener”>Bosch Mixer !  It is how I make my bread.

Put kneading hook in Bosch.  Pour 2 Cups of very warm water, sugar, and salt into Bosch.  Pulse a few times.

In a 2 Cup glass measuring cup, fill 1 Cup very warm water.  Add to it, 2 Tablespoons of Saf instant yeast(I have used other yeasts, but this is the one that gives me the best results).  Stir with a wooden spoon(very important in my book!) and let stand about 5-7 minutes until foamy.

In Bosch, stir the water/sugar/salt combo to make sure it is all dissolved-It usually isn’t, so you need to stir it.  Then add the water/yeast combo to the Bosch.  Place lid on.  Pulse a few times to mix it together.  Then Add the olive oil.  Pulse a few times.

Next, add 4 Cups of unbleached white flour.  Place lid on.  Stir on speed 1 until almost all the way combined.  Just long enough to get the gluten development going.

Then add the remaining 2 Cups of unbleached white flour and the 2 Cups of fresh ground whole wheat flour.  Place lid on.  Mix on speed 1 until the sides are wiped clean.  *If the dough isn’t cleaning the sides/not bulking up, you need more flour.

Don’t over mix.  If you mix too long, it alters the texture of the bread.

Remove the kneading hook.  Using a wooden spoon, push dough to one side, and push down lightly on the top.  Replace the lid of the Bosch.  Set a timer for 7 minutes.  Then lightly push down with wooden spoon on the top of the dough.  Repeat this 3 more times.  *Note: if your kitchen is very warm, you may need less time.  But usually it needs to rise slow like this for 25-28 minutes.

The dough should look like this after the 28 minutes.

On floured wax paper, turn dough out and divide into three equal(no one’s perfect!) loaves.

Mold with your hands by turning the bread in your hands and tucking under the bottom edges until it forms a loaf.  You will need a bit of flour as you do this.  Then rub the bottom to make sure the dough is mostly smooth on the bottom too.  Use added flour as needed.  Give the top of the loaf several good pats.

Then place into pans.  I use non-stick pans, so I don’t grease them.  If you are unsure, give it a bit of butter and flour to make sure your loaves don’t stick.

Cover with a light cloth dish towel, and let rise for 10-15 minutes.  Once again, depending on the warmth of your kitchen, the rise time could be different. *I turn on my oven now, so it’s nicely preheated(400ºF).

Once risen, bake at 400ºF for 20 minutes.  It should be golden brown on the top and sides.

Immediately take loaves out of pans.  Cool on wire rack.  Brush softened, not melted, butter on top. (I just stick my hand in a plastic bag, get some butter on it, and spread it on the loaves)

Enjoy!

And don’t forget to share with your neighbors!  It’s my favorite thing to do!  Send my kids over to a neighbor’s at dinnertime with a fresh hot loaf of bread!

I hope that you will give this recipe a try!  Bread can be finicky, so keep trying if it doesn’t turn out right the first time.

*If you don’t have loaf pans, this works great to shape into two french bread loaves.  I usually use all unbleached flour when I make it into french bread.  Just divide dough into two portions, roll each piece into a rectangle(about 9×13).  Then roll up starting on the longer side of the rectangle, not to tightly-but gently, into a long loaf.  Tuck the ends under.  Place on a GREASED cookie sheet.  Then slice the tops with a sharp knife 3-4 times at an angle.  Let rise, then bake the same as the loaves.  Butter the tops when baked.  Yummy!

I hope that you will have a moment watch the video link above.

Life is Good.  Share the Good.