Making Bread....

Some of the best lessons I learned in college didn't take place in the classroom but rather in the tiny little kitchen of my on-campus apartment. My roommate Melissa was from a huge family and her mother frequently baked bread from scratch. Melissa was kind enough to share her recipe with me. Her mom's recipe makes four loaves of bread so I halved it.

This makes 2 loaves of good bread:

2 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 tablespoons salt
1/2 cup oil
2 eggs
1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons yeast
2 1/4 cups warm water
3/4 cup milk (can be powdered milk)

I always combine the yeast with and the water and then add. You have to be careful that your water isn't too hot or it will kill the yeast.

This recipe tends to make a bit of mess (or it could be the baker :). Mix everything. Let the dough rise for twenty minutes. Then add 2 1/ 2 cups more flour. I used Ken's wheat flour but you can use white flour if you prefer. Knead for 10 minutes.

I needed more than the required flour because the goal is to have dough that is no longer sticky. Kneading is hard work! Let it rise again for 20 minutes. My loaves got pretty big. Divide into 2 parts. Knead in more flour if need be and let rise again for another 20 minutes.

This recipe is kind of labor intensive. I mostly made it so I could use Ken's wheat flour which he seems to want to use for everything. :) If you're a single guy looking to impress a girl, I recommend this recipe. Otherwise, it's probably just easier to buy a bread machine. :)