weekly bread

I've been meaning to do a bread post for a long time now, and when Grandma Renee asked about it a few posts ago, that reminded me again that I need to do one.

My mom baked bread regularly when we were kids, and she still does (though she doesn't need to as often now, I'm sure)... and I started baking a batch every once in a while in college. When Jeff and I were married, I baked for us, all the way up until K was born 4 years later. I'm sure I kept at it for a while, but for about 4 years in there - K being a toddler, me pregnant, then 2 little ones - homemade bread was switched on and off with some sort of 12-grain whole wheat honey whatnot. Which started out okay, but was eventually shunned by K (unusual for her, since she usually shuns outright), and I'd get sick of it myself.

You see, because my bread recipe (from mom, the one I grew up with), isn't 12-grain whole wheat nut and sprouted grain-filled whatnot. It's BREAD, about 1/2 whole wheat, nothing weird, very little fat, not much sugar. I've looked into doing 100% whole wheat, but once you start to get a cup or so over 1/2 the flour being whole wheat, you have to add glutens or milk powder or something or your bread will get gummy. (I've found this out when I'm scraping the bottom of the white flour barrel to make bread for the week)...

So, this is a simple, tasty, easy bread recipe, enough for 3 loaves which lasts our family of 4 a week (but probably wouldn't last a family big into sandwiches nearly that long).

Mom's Weekly Bread (given Joy of Cooking-style)

Take 1 egg out of the fridge. Set aside.

Put a shy 1 Tbs yeast and 1 Tbs sugar into a cereal size bowl. Set aside.

Heat 3 Cups of water in a microwave safe bowl, heat to about 115 degrees.

Mix 1/2 C of this warmed water into the yeast/sugar bowl, stir with fork, set in a warm place to bubble undisturbed.

Add either 1/4 Cup butter or 1/4 Cup applesauce to the now 2 1/2 Cups of water, then heat through to melt butter, to about 120-130 degrees. Set aside so it's not too hot.

Into bowl of Kitchen-aid mixer (if you have dough-hook), put 1/2 Cup sugar, 1.5 tsp salt, and the egg you set out. Mix with paddle attachment.

Add the 2 1/2 C water/butter mix to mixer. Mix again. Add 1 C white flour (bread flour works great) and 3 C wheat flour. Mix slowly, then beat briefly.

Your yeast should be bubbled and puffy.

Add yeast to the mixer, stir gently, then beat briefly.

Switch to the dough hook.

Alternating white and wheat flours, slowly adding a cup at a time, add 2 more Cups wheat and 2 more Cups white flour.

Start timer for 5 minutes. Set mixer on setting one above the lowest (Stir) setting. Adding small amounts of white flour to keep from sticking to bowl sides, mix dough with dough hook for 5 minutes.

Scrape dough out onto counter, scraping all the bits stuck to the bowl into the ball, and kneed by hand a few times to be sure the dough has spring. If you push your finger into it, the dent should puff back. Shape into a ball.

Drizzle some olive oil into the (empty) mixer bowl, using hands coat sides, put dough ball in upside down, then flip bottom down (to oil top of dough).


Cover with a towel, set in a warm place, and maybe set a timer for about an hour to check on dough.

When it's cloudy out, like it has been, I rise my bread on the stovetop under the lights. Some people use their microwave with the door ajar (so the light inside makes the inside warm) or a laundry room. A sunny window really is the best, but out of a draft.


You may want to catch it before it rises this much, but this is where I usually find it (after I've done just one more thing before I check on it.)

Punch dough down (this is big fun).


Butter very well 3 loaf pans. Divide dough into 3 portions. With a rolling pin, roll out a portion into a rectangle. Starting at long sides, roll sides so they meet in the middle, pinch closed so you have a long roll. Fold long ends in to touch in the middle (can use the edge of your hand to crease) to form a loaf. Why didn't I take pictures of these steps?! Place in loaf pan, repeat with other 2 loaves.


Really, as long as you've started by rolling it out and the bread ends up in some sort of loaf form in the pan, it will be fine, I'm sure.

Let rise again, covered with a towel, again in a warm place,


until the dough is about 1" above the top of the pan.

Place in COLD oven, set oven to 400 degrees, start timer for 15 minutes. When 15 minutes are finished, set oven down to 350 degrees and timer for about 12-15 minutes or until loaves are done (they will sound hollow when tapped on the bottom).

If loaves do not release from the pans when they're done, set on their sides for about 10 minutes, then they should slip out. Cool on wire rack (I like to cool them on their sides, so they don't lose height). When completely cool they freeze perfectly.


K's favorite sandwich is peanut butter and honey (local bulk from the co-op).

(And yes, my children eat their crusts.)