Homemade Bread

Nothing beats the smell of freshly baked bread, plus it's so much tastier and nutritious than store bought bread.

I have tried so many recipes for homemade bread over the years but never found one recipe that I was satisfied with until I found this one.
Many of the recipes would turn out great one time, only to completely flop the next. Maybe it's just luck but this recipe has turned out well every time I've made it. This is now my go to recipe when I want to bake bread.

Homemade Bread

Ingredients:

 1/4 cup warm water

2 Tbsp dry yeast

1 1/2 Tbsp bread flour

2 tsp white sugar

1 cup quick oats

1 cup whole wheat flour

2 1/4 cups warm water

2 tsp salt

1/3 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup vegetable or canola oil

2 Tbsp vital wheat gluten opt.

5 cups bread flour. I use Thesco or Sapphire Flour

Directions:

 1. In a mixing bowl, I use my Kitchen Aid Mixer, stir together the first four ingredients. Let grow for about 5 minutes. It should start bubbling almost immediately.

2. Add oats, wheat flour, warm water, salt, brown sugar, oil and wheat gluten to the first part in the mixing bowl. With a dough hook, mix on low speed for 1-2 minutes. Increase speed slightly, and begin to add the bread flour 1/2 to 1 cup at a time until dough pulls away from sides of the bowl. Note: Humidity can determine how much flour you will need. It is normal for the dough to be a little sticky.

3. Place dough in a greased bowl and turn to coat the surface. Cover with a cloth. Let rise in a warm spot until doubled in size approx.1 hour.

I turn my oven on it's lowest setting while I'm mixing my bread then turn it off so the oven is just slightly warm.

4. Divide dough into 3 pieces. Shape loaves, and place in greased 8 1/2 inch x 4 1/2 inch bread pans. Prick with fork to help get rid of air bubbles. Let rise until dough is 1 inch above rim of pans, 45 minutes to 1 hour.

5. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes or tops are golden brown. Let cool in pans for 8 minutes and turn out onto wire racks to cool completely.

I like to brush the tops with melted butter after removing from pans for a soft shiny crust. Then I cover with a towel while cooling. If you like a chewier crust skip this part.

printablerecipe

"give us this day our daily bread"