Becoming Sami Homemaker

So, in an effort to be more "Susie Homemaker" I took on the task of baking bread from scratch. I'm talking warm water and yeast style baking. The kind of bread you let rise for hours then punch it (which is a great stress reliever) and then let rise a second time in the bread pan. In all my excitement to see that the yeast was WORKING I didn't let it rise to the size of the bread pan. So I had a runt loaf. But still yummy nonetheless.

If you know me at all you know that being a housewife was never a goal I had when I was in my undergrad years. I was convinced that I would be a working mom with daycare kids. Not that there is anything wrong with that, but for the time I do not have to participate in the working mom game of things. So to pass the time, I bake, clean, play with my kids, color, do crafts, workout, see friends, and in all provide my husband and children a happy environment to flourish in. I LOVE being home with my kids. I love that I can bake bread or cakes or cookies on a whim if I wanted to midday on a Wednesday. Although with the current workout routine, cakes and cookies are going to have to wait. ;)

My family means the world to me and I take it as a personal responsibility to provide them with the healthiest choices possible in my control. I made bread. Sure you might say, "Whoppididoodah!" But let me tell you something, if you don't have organic breads in your house, try to pronounce ALL the ingredients they put into bread to make it fluffy, taste good, and sellable. This bread had 8 ingredients. Wheat flour, white flour, molasses, honey, yeast, water, butter and salt. All words I know what they are. This bread was a recipe I borrowed from another friend. Her recipe made 4 loaves. I cut it in half to make 2 to try it out.

Whole Wheat Bread(makes 4 loaves)
2 pkg dry yeast
4 C warm water
1/2 C soft butter
1/4 C molasses    

1/2 C honey
2 tsp salt
6 C whole wheat flour
4 C white flour

‎1. Dissolve yeast in warm water
2. Combine butter, molasses, honey and salt. Mix well. Add yeast mixture. Gradually add flour. Turn onto floured surface, knead until smooth. Place in greased bowl and let rise until double. Punch down. Let d...ough rest a few minutes. Shape into four loaves. Place in greased bread pans. Let rise about one hour. Bake at 375 for 35-40 minutes.  

Simple enough I think. It was easy and messy.

I cannot bake or cook without making a mess in my kitchen.

But when I put my mind to things, they turn out pretty perfect. The bread is rising. IT'S WORKING!!

 Split into two bread pans. One bread pan is slightly larger than the other bread pan.

 This bread is pretty even in a picture.

YUM YUM!!

Pretty happy kids. They really liked it!

So as I conclude this bread-making adventure with a blog, I will state that I think it was a good experience. Saved quite a few bucks... at about 55 cents per loaf, who wouldn't make their own bread? And I know that my family is getting the healthiest option out there for bread. That puts a smile on my face.


Happy homemaking to you!