On Tuesdays and Thursdays, I post a picture and just a few words.
During the school year, I’m a pretty faithful bread-baker. This is due largely to the fact that a fair amount of staying home is necessary to get our school work done.
And if I’m home, it’s not that hard to throw together a batch of bread, especially because a lot of the work can be done here and there in the midst of helping with schoolwork.
But this summer, I was so busy doing projects, decluttering my house, and taking my kids out to do fun stuff, I barely made bread at all.
At first, my kids were sort of ok with this, but by the end of the summer, Zoe was all, “Mommm! I’m so tired of store-bought bread!”.
So, she was pleased that last week, when school started, I finally made some loaves of whole wheat bread again.
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Whole Wheat bread recipe here.
Epic cooling rack here. (Amazon affiliate link)
My favorite bread pans. (not an affiliate link)
eddie
Saturday 19th of September 2015
Ok, I came across your bread recipe randomly. I thought I'd give it a try. I know my way around the kitchen but I normally don't bake bread. After getting the bread out of the oven and cutting a slice for my 4-year old, with butter, of course. He gave me a big smile, thumbs up and said it was better than stored-bought bread. It made my day I you can guess. I will be baking more often now. Mine did not rise as much as I was expecting. what's the secret for it? more white flour, more yeast? And thanks for sharing your baking secrets.
a now-happy baker dad
Kristen
Sunday 20th of September 2015
I use a combo of white and wheat flour-about 50/50.
The most common cause of dense homemade bread is too much flour. If the dough is too stiff, the yeast bubbles have trouble lifting it, and the yeast bubbles are what make bread light. The dough should be soft enough so that if you shape it into a ball and put it on the counter, the ball should flatten out significantly.
I hope that helps!
KimN
Thursday 17th of September 2015
We were in the same boat this summer. My son was really excited when school started again and I made my first loaves in awhile. My girls could go either way, but my son definitely prefers home made.
Also, I'm with you on being a home body. I don't mind running errands but my preference is to stay home. Nothing makes me happier. I used to be really disappointed in myself for feeling that way and tried to pretend I felt differently, but now that I'm older I've come to accept it.
Kristen
Friday 18th of September 2015
Yep! No sense trying to be someone else, you know? I like to stay home, others like to go out, and that's just how it is. Both varieties of people can learn to grow and be flexible, but to some extent, we are what we are.
Claire
Thursday 17th of September 2015
I'm so lazy, I use my bread maker! This month I am trying to make all of our bread products myself. It's been money-saving, but a bit of a hassle sometimes. However, home made bread always tastes nicer, and makes the house smell so nice!
Jen Y
Wednesday 16th of September 2015
So sweet.
I used to make all of our bread when I was homeschooling. Now we're in the empty nest dealing with aging diets & we don't eat bread anymore, except on very special occasions.
Hannah @ Eat, Drink and Save Money
Tuesday 15th of September 2015
I can't wait to try your recipe. I got into a good rhythm of baking bread before the baby was born, then things got a little crazy. I'm hoping I can get back into it once things slow down. Then again, do things every slow down with kids? I have a feeling things just keep getting crazier!