Homemade Bread

So, I decided to try my hand at a little homemade bread. We like to make lots of things from scratch and I thought this would be great to add to our list.  The recipe was rather simple.  Once we mixed all of the ingredients, I punched the dough down (literally) and made three loaves out of, each into greased pans, and sprinkled a little a few whole oats for that extra little touch.

  I set these again to proof.

 And they just about doubled in size.

 Since I only had two loaf pans, I put the third loaf, into a greased shallow casserole dish.

 And then they were ready for the oven.

 After about 25-30 minutes in the oven they were all done.

 I brushed mine with just a little bit of browned butter.  *Now here's a tip: Do not use your standard fiber kitchen basting brushes to do this, because for some reason, the little fibers from the brush come out onto your bread and get stuck, especially if you've got the oats on top like I do.  Use one of the silicone basting brushes.  We know for next time ;-)

The instructions said to let the bread cool completely but....

 Eh...we couldn't wait!  I tore right into one of those loaves and drizzled on a little honey.  Before I even had the first bite down I was hearing, "Oh, Mama...what is that?"

 You know how the story ends.

This bread was super easy to make!  And can I tell you: (1) I did not use my stand mixer and  (2) you can substitute out some of the ingredients listed for organic ingredients.  That's what I did with the wheat.  I wanted to see how I could alter this & still make it taste delicious! 

Here's my recipe:

Ingredients

• 3 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
• 2 (.25 ounce) packages active dry yeast
• 1/3 cup honey
• 5 cups bread flour
• 3 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1/3 cup honey
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 3 1/2 cups organic whole wheat flour
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted

Directions

1. In a large bowl, mix warm water, yeast, and 1/3 cup honey. Add 5 cups white bread flour, and stir to combine. Let set for 30 minutes, or until big and bubbly.
2. Mix in 3 tablespoons melted butter, 1/3 cup honey, and salt. Stir in 2 cups whole wheat flour. Flour a flat surface and knead with whole wheat flour until not real sticky - just pulling away from the counter, but still sticky to touch. This may take an additional 2 to 4 cups of whole wheat flour. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to coat the surface of the dough. Cover with a dishtowel. Let rise in a warm place until doubled.
3. Punch down, and divide into 3 loaves. Place in greased 9 x 5 inch loaf pans, and allow to rise until dough has topped the pans by one inch.
4. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 25 to 30 minutes; do not overbake. Lightly brush the tops of loaves with 2 tablespoons melted butter or margarine when done to prevent crust from getting hard. Cool completely.