Yummy In The Tummy: Homemade Bread



Soft Whole Wheat Sandwich Bread



Mmmmm.  Homemade bread.  It's one of my favorite memories from childhood and one that I want to give to my own daughters.  What's funny is that while growing up, having fresh, whole wheat bread wasn't all that special because we had it all the time.  In fact, sometimes I enjoyed eating the store-bought because it gave me a break from "brown bread". 

But after its absence from my life for many years, homemade bread has reentered with a vengeance!  I mean, I'm totally going bonkers on the stuff.  There's a good side and a bad side to that.

The good:  It tastes amazing; my house smells amazing; it's cheaper in the long run than buying it in the store; most recipes are whole grain and healthy; it's so easy!

The not-so-good:  It ain't calorie-free and we've been eating A LOT of it lately.



Ten Grain Bread

 I found a great book that has so many good recipes and I want to try them all so I keep making it and making it and eating it and eating it.  Some of our faves so far:  Soft whole wheat sandwich bread (we live on this), roasted garlic bread (incredible), anadama corn bread, ten-grain bread, whole wheat banana bread (K has requested that I never make this one again because it's too good).



I wish I was getting paid to endorse this!



I don't have a bread maker but over the years I'd attempted to make some bread just kneading it by hand and that got old real quick.  Then I ran across this gem:  Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day, by Jeff Hertzberg and Zoe Francois.  You can make pan loaves and artisan loaves, pizza crust and even incredible hamburger buns.  All without kneading!

I'm not only enjoying it because it's so yummy but I think I'm getting a kick out of how domestic it makes me feel.  Also, it's priceless, the reaction you get, when presenting someone with a fresh loaf of homemade bread.  They first look at you like you're the inventor of pants or something and then they drop their eyes to gaze in wonder and caress their new treasure as if they were cuddling their newborn for the first time. 

It's a great way to make someone's day.