For some reason I have always been afraid to make bread.  I am afraid of the yeast, how do I know if the water is warm enough, did it rise enough, etc…  I once bought yeast, and literally moved it with be through 3 different houses and never used it! I finally threw it out about a year ago.  I’m sure it had expired in 1995 or something! I don’t have a bread machine, but I do have a Kitchen-Aid mixer with the dough hook.  I have read countless recipes for bread, but besides pumpkin bread, or banana bread, or any other sweet bread, I have never attempted a regular kind of bread.  I have had thoughts of making my kids sandwiches for their school lunches on bread that I made, how cool would that be, (would I win some kind of awesome Mom award?)  I found this recipe at www.cookingbread.com.  And even for someone like me, who is a novice at making bread, it turned out fantastic and now I don’t have to be afraid anymore.  Plus the ingredients are so inexpensive, you could make breads like these all the time for a fraction of the price in grocery stores.  This recipe makes 2 loaves of bread.  You can freeze any leftovers if you like, but if you are like my family, that won’t be necessary!

Ingredients

• 2 cups water
• 1 cup rolled oats
• 1/3 cup butter (soft)
• 1/3 cup honey
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 2 package yeast
• 1 egg
• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 2-3 cups white flour

Method

In a saucepan, heat 1 cup of water to boiling. Add in oats, butter, honey and salt. Set a side to cool to 110F. Heat remaining water to 110 F. and sprinkle yeast, allow to activate. In a large bowl combine the yeast mixture, egg , the whole wheat flour and the cooked rolled oats. Mix together till smooth. Using your hand knead in the remaining flour. Just enough to make a stiff batter. Spread batter evenly into two greased 8 1/2 X 4 1/4 inch loaf pans. Cover and let rise till double about 35 – 40 minutes. Bake in a 375 degree oven for 40-45 minutes. Remove from pans and brush with butter.
That’s it, that wasn’t so hard, was it?  Have any of you attempted to make your own breads??