I've gone pioneer

I've started baking bread. It's something I've thought about doing over the years, but always decided it was too much work. I didn't think I had enough time for it. I didn't want the mess, the trouble, the hassle. All that has changed.

My husband is a bread eating fiend. It's always been his go to snack. Especially since becoming an avid runner. He burns calories fast and is constantly craving carbs. It was when he started running and going through 2-3 loaves of bread a week, that I again began to consider baking it myself. He loves homemade bread and I decided I would finally be a nice wife and make some every once in a while for him. I guess for myself and the kids as well.

I was inspired by my sister in law, Heather, who has been baking bread for about 2 years now. I decided if I was going to do it, I was going to try and do it like her. I asked her for some recipes. One that she sent me came from an Enrichment Night that she attended at my ward. Go figure. I guess I didn't save the recipe because that was back when I didn't want to be bothered with bread. It was easy to follow and looked like the best choice for me. I only have a 4 quart (I think that's the size) Kitchen Aid mixer. Consequently, I can't fit a lot in the bowl. In fact, I had to cut this recipe in half in order for the mixer to even be effective. I still get 2 loaves at a time out of it and that lasts around 3 days here. I'm really starting to see the benefits of the professional size Kitchen Aid's or even the large Bosch mixers. Maybe someday.

My parents have a grain mill. I've never taken advantage of it before. I don't know why I've wasted that resource for all these years. So, I bought a 25 lb. bucket of wheat, some dough enhancer and vital wheat gluten and jumped right in with both feet. That was at the beginning of January. I have been grinding wheat once a week and baking bread 2-3 times a week since then. After a little trial and error and tweaking, I think I have the recipe down to what works best for me. My husband thinks I'm amazing for doing it (I assume because he's not the kind of guy who would come right out and say "You're amazing"). I just know that he eats it non-stop and so that must mean that he likes it. My kids are basically on board with it as well. Just in case you can't guess, Cameron is the one who's been the hardest to convince. He's eaten a couple of slices, but still won't eat it in toast form. He thinks that toast must be white bread. I'll get him to come around someday. I've told everyone that I'm not going to be buying bread anymore unless it is absolutely necessary. My husband is totally fine with that. The kids have complained, but I think they are finally resigned to the fact that I really mean it. ☺ I'm actually really proud of myself. I decided to try something new and once I did, I discovered that I wasn't half bad at it. I'm glad that I've taken a chance on bread making.

I think I may finally update my cooking blog and post the recipe that I've been using there.