My new thing

 

For many years now I have wanted to start making bread. I wanted to use the food storage that we are encouraged to have. What good is wheat, if it just sits there as wheat? I wanted to offer more nutritious options to my family, without having to buy the real expensive bread from the store (that is just not as good as homemade!), I wanted to feel a little more domesticated. But,in my mind there were always big obstacles. The biggest was we don't own a wheat grinder, and they are not cheap. Next, not sure if my Sunbeam Mixer had enough oomph to make bread, and in my mind it would be a great time consumer. I remember mom making bread, and it was such a long process, with a lot of kneading, and waiting, as a small child it seemed like an all day affair. I was still thinking of things as they were some 30-35 years ago. And frankly, with the number of children that revolve through our door on a daily basis, in my mind it just wasn't feasible. But a friend one time was telling me about her bread...that she makes in her bread maker...humm...Well, I thought, I have a bread maker. So it sat and festered there in my mind. But, still that didn't solve the problem of the wheat grinder. I went to a couple of bread making classes, and the interest was peaked even more. But again, I had it in my mind that I had to do all or nothing. NO WHEAT GRINDER,etc, etc. Then after another conversation with my friend, I found out that she had been doing this for over 8 years, and when she started out, it was with flour purchased at the store, and she worked her way up to what it is now. Step by step, precept upon precept... Sometimes things have to hit me over the head! I was encouraged. I could buy the flour from the store and not have guilt. I could gradually work whole wheat into my family's diet. I could save my sheckles and eventually buy the grinder. So I invited her over, and she taught me how to do it. I CAN'T BELIEVE HOW UNBELIEVABLY EASY IT IS!!!!! Dump the ingredients in the bread maker, let it do the kneading. Put it in a bread pan, let it raise once, and bake it. Easy! So, here is a picture of my small step into the homemade bread world. It is so delicious, and so healthy, and I did it! (I'm still working on having it nice and rounded on the top).