Thanks for all the lovely comments on yesterday's post!
I thought I'd answer a couple bread questions for you all.
*The bread recipe I almost always use is the Egg Bread Recipe under my Bread link. I usually triple the recipe and make my four loaves of bread. (A couple from my church always buys one loaf! and sometimes I give a smaller one away.) I like the Egg Bread because it doesn't crumble or dry out. It is awesome sandwich bread! And is good for toasting. And we love to eat it fresh with butter and honey. Mmmmmm.
*So many loaves . . . You really do the same amount of work no matter how many loaves you make. So, make the baking worthwhile - make a couple loaves at a time!
*The pictures from yesterday were of the plain recipe. Usually I add oatmeal (a cup per cup of water), or ground flax (to taste), or some whole wheat flour (just replace some of the white flour), or some combination of these healthy extras.
*A few of you said your house is too cold to really get a good rise on your dough. Another lady from my church gave me a solution for that. Before you start mixing up your bread dough, preheat your oven to 200 degrees F. As soon as it is preheated, turn it off. Leave the oven door closed. When you have your dough ready for rising, place it in the oven and close the door again. It will rise quickly! Take it out, shape it and put it back in the oven. (Just make sure that the tea towel you have the bread covered with doesn't dry out. It will dry out more quickly in the oven and if it does, it will stick to the top of your bread miserably. If you aren't against plastic wrap, it works will to grease a piece of plastic wrap - with oil, shortening, butter, or cooking spray - and use that instead of the tea towel.) Take your bread out of the oven just in time to preheat the oven for baking.
*My bread bowl was my grandma's. I made bread in it at her house for her a few times before she passed away. So, it's pretty special to me. There is a big crack in one side, but it still works great for rising bread!
*I bake bread once or twice a week. Sometimes we end up buying a loaf from the store, but there is an awesome organic bakery in town and I don't mind giving them a bit my business.
*If I start baking by 9 or 9:30, I have fresh bread done in time for lunch. Maddie likes it with butter. Isaac likes it with just honey. I like it with butter, honey, jam . . . I just slice up some apples and some cheddar cheese and we have a yummy, easy, healthy lunch!
~~ I made these little hearts for my sister-in-law as a "cheer up" sort of a gift. She really likes hearts and has a little row of them hanging on these little white pegs. It was fun to add to her row the other day!
