Homemade Bread

I've been making my own bread now for about a month now, and I am so proud of myself! I have always wanted to make my own bread, but the task always seemed so intimidating! After a few loafs of bread making the "old fashioned" way (doing all the kneading by hand) I borrowed my moms bread machine to do all the hard work for me. (Anyone who knows me well knows that my hands are bad, and they would ache all night after making a loaf of bread.) So I let the bread machine knead the dough, and I let the bread rise once in the machine, then punch it down, let it rise again in the bread pan and bake it in the oven. Here is a very good recipe for a 50/50 bread.

1 cup warm water (110-115 degrees F)
1 tablespoon milk
2 tablespoons oil
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons dry yeast

Instructions:

1. *Combine first 6 ingredients in a large mixing bowl; stir.

2. Add flours and yeast, and knead until dough is smooth and elastic, about 10-15 minutes. Place dough in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover with a clean towel and let rise until doubled, about 40 minutes.

3. Punch dough down; knead for a few minutes until smooth and then form into a loaf. Place in greased loaf pan and cover. Let rise in a warm place until almost doubled in size, about 30 minutes.

4. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes. If loaf starts browning too soon, lightly lay a piece of foil on top of the loaf to prevent too much darkening.

5. Remove bread from oven and allow to rest in pan for a few minutes. Remove to a wire rack and cover with a cloth. Slice and enjoy while still warm! Leftover bread can be stored in an airtight bag or frozen until needed.

I have also slightly altered this recipe for a white bread. Just change the 2 T brown sugar to white sugar, and change the flour to 3 cups unbleached white flour. The end result is soo yummy! I think it is very similar to grandma sycamores bread from the store.