Bread

This recipe comes from my mother.  When we were kids we always had homemade bread in the house.  I think a lot of people find bread intimidating, but it is actually pretty simple.  It may seem time-consuming but once you get the hang of it, it`s a breeze!  There`s a lot of room to be creative with bread as well.  You can add extra sugar, or cinnamon and make a cinnamon loaf.  You can add olives, poppy seeds, herbs, anything you like!

 Ingredients:

7-8 Cups Flour (Combination of white and whole wheat)
3 TB Fast-acting Yeast
1 tsp Salt
3 Cups Water (Heated to 115 degrees)
1 TB Olive Oil
1 TB Honey
1 TB Dried Oregano (optional)
1 TB Dried Basil (optional)

Directions:

1. Measure 5 cups of flour into your mixer. You will be adding more flour later.  (At this point you can decide what the ratio of whole wheat to white will be.  I usually do 5 whole wheat and 3 white.)  Add the yeast and salt to the flour and combine.  You can also add the herbs at this point if you choose.

2.  Heat the water to 115 degrees and add the oil and honey.  A tip to make sure the honey does not stick to the tablespoon is to dip it in the oil and water before you squeeze the honey onto it.

3. Turn your mixer onto medium speed and add the water mixture to the flour.  Your mixer will likely have two attachments, a hook and a beater.  Use the beater at this point.  Once it has combined put your mixer to medium high and let mix for about 2 minutes.

4.  Change to the hook attachment and begin to add the last 3 cups of flour.  Add each cup slowly so it won't spill over the top of your mixer.  The flour can go flying if there is too much in the bowl.  Continue to add the flour until the dough stops sticking to the edge.  When you think you have added enough flour let the dough knead for about 2 minutes and check to see if it sticks at all.  It is okay to go over the 8 cups of flour if you think it is still too sticky.  You should also be able to poke the dough with your finger without it sticking.

5.  Dump the dough onto a large, floured cutting board.  Knead with your hands until there aren't any air bubbles in the dough.  Form the dough into a ball and place into a large, oiled bowl.  Cover the bowl with greased saran wrap but not too tightly.  Let the dough sit in a warm area for 10 minutes.  You could take this opportunity to begin your clean-up, or you can eat Halloween candy instead, which is what I did!

After 10 minutes.

6.  After 10 minutes put the dough back onto the cutting board and knead again.  Divide the dough into however many loaves you would like.  I would recommend making about 3 loaves, 2 pull-apart breads or 12 buns.  Cover each loaf with greased saran wrap again and let sit in a warm area for 30 minutes.  Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

To make pull-apart bread you divide the loaf into three parts and make strands.  Braid the dough and when it is cooked you can just tear pieces off.  Great for having with soup!

7.  Cook for 35 minutes.  You will know the bread is done with you knock on it and it is hard.  Keep in a Tupperware or sealed bag so it stays nice and soft.

Cooked bun.