When I was a kid, I used to love when my mom would bake homemade bread. There just wasn’t anything like it…from the smells that filled the house as it baked to that first slice, fresh from the oven, with a light coating of melted butter.
Then one year, my mom got a bread machine for Christmas and it just wasn’t the same. It still smelled pretty good while baking, but the tastes and textures of the squarish loaf were just not as good. A slice of fresh bread from that machine was ok but I missed the real thing. The contrast was noticeable. I can’t honestly say if she did something wrong or not — I never used the bread machine myself — but she is usually a very good cook and she did try a dozen or more bread recipes before she finally gave up. By that time, I had left the house.
I am now making my own bread, but I am neither using a bread machine nor am I hand kneading (although my arms could probably use the toning). I am using a Kitchen Aid with a dough hook. It is the best of both worlds — the yummy homemade bread I remember with much less work. Not quite as little work as a bread machine, but still something I manage to do with a newborn and a toddler so it can’t be that bad.
I’ve been making my own wheat bread for a couple of years now, using it for a hearty side dish for many of my dinners. I have now decided to expand to making my own sandwich bread so I can finally eliminate the store-bought bread with its artificial sugars. (I’m trying to get the high fructose corn syrup out of my diet.) I purchased a counter top bread slicer so I could get even 1/2″ slices and record the points honestly on Weigh Watchers. (Hey, I’ve got a ton of baby weight to lose!)
I haven’t found my white bread recipe. It was hard to find one because most of the recipes out there are for the bread machine, but I finally came across three recipes that seemed worth trying. I will let you know when I find the perfect white bread for sandwiches.
I’ll also let all recipes know — they seem heavy on the bread machine recipes!
In the meantime, here is my homemade wheat bread recipes, complete with Kitchen Aid instructions:
1/2 cup honey
3 tbsp shortening
1 cup milk
1 cup water
1 tbsp salt
2 packages active dry yeast
1 egg
2_1/2 cups wheat flour
5 cups all purpose flower
1. In small saucepan, mix honey, shortening, milk, and water. Heat over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until about 120 degrees. I don’t use a thermometer…when the shortening is just starting to melt and it feels good and hot, then it’s done. I used a thermometer for a while but then got used to how it was supposed to feel.
2. Meanwhile, mix yeast, salt, wheat flour, and 1 cup of the white flower in the kitchen aid bowl.
3. Add egg and the saucepan mixture. Mix on medium high speed for about 3 minutes.
4. Change to the dough hook, add the remaining 4 cups of all purpose flour, and kneed on the lowest setting until smooth and consistent.
5. Grease bowl, put the dough in, turn it to coat the dough with the grease, cover with towel, and let rise until double — about an hour. (I actually use the kitchen aid bowl. This isn’t a very sticky dough so the bowl comes out pretty clean. I set the dough on the counter, grease the bowl, and put it back in.)
6. Punch dough. Divide in half. Form into loaves and place in 2 greased loaf pans. Cover with towel and let rise for about another 45 minutes to an hour.
7. Put in 375 degree oven for 30 minutes.
8. Let it stand for about 15 minutes before cutting into it or the middle will be doughy and raw. The middle continues to cook for a while on the counter.