When I make homemade bread, I like to make quite a few loaves at once.  I don’t have time to make bread more than once a week (and I don’t even make it that often) so I like to have a lot to show for the effort.

This recipe will make 4 loaves.  But it’s too much dough for my stand mixer to handle so I make it by hand.  I enjoy the process of starting with flour and yeast, then kneading the dough to form loaves.  It feels rustic and wholesome and slow.  Such a contrast to the rest of modern life.

Of course, nothing compares to pulling hot loaves from the oven and slathering butter over thick slices.

Homemade bread is easy to make, but it does take some time and a little bit of muscle too, if you’re doing it by hand.  I’m going to take you through the whole process, so there are a lot more photos in this post than most of my posts.

Tomorrow, I’ll share how to make Whole Wheat Cinnamon Rolls with part of the dough. 

Here are the ingredients you’ll need:

Technically, this isn’t whole wheat bread.  I use a combination of whole wheat flour and white flour (preferably bread flour, but you can also use all purpose).  Whole wheat flour by itself will bake up a very heavy loaf.  You can add gluten to the mix to help the dough to rise, but I prefer to use white (bread) flour along with the wheat.  I use about 6 cups of each.

You’ll also need yeast.  I buy the jars of bread machine yeast.  I use honey to add to the flavor and help the yeast rise.  Butter helps the bread to keep a bit longer.  You don’t have to use it, but it’s a nice addition.  And of course, you’ll need salt and warm water, neither of which made it into the photo.

Step 1

In a very large bowl, dissolve 4 Tbs. yeast in 5 cups warm water.  The water should be about the temp of a baby’s bath water or about 85 degrees.  Add a teaspoon of honey to the yeast and water.  Stir with a wooden spoon.

Step 2

When the yeast is dissolved, add the another 4 Tbs. honey, 4 tsp. salt, 8 Tbs. butter and 6 cups whole wheat flour.

Stir this vigorously for several minutes.  You want it well mixed and you also want to give it a good workout.  This makes combining the rest of the flour easier.

It should like like this after you stir it:

It should be very thick liquid that’s kind of stretchy.  Sounds good, doesn’t it?

Step 3

Now it’s time to add 6 cups of white flour.

Stir vigorously with a wooden spoon.  This is going to be harder to mix, because you’ve added more flour.  Work the flour in as much as you can with the spoon.  When you can’t stir it very well and most of the flour is worked in, turn it out on a floured table or counter to knead it.

Step 4 – Kneading

Kneading is going to take a total of 10-15 minutes.  Fold the dough over, smoosh it, give it a quarter turn and repeat.  Continue to work flour in as needed.  Keep your work surface floured too.  As the dough becomes more elastic and smooth, you may only need flour on your hands and/or counter, just to keep it from sticking. 

Here are some photos of the various stages of kneading:

1.  This is right after I turned the dough out of the bowl.  You can see that’s it’s a very rough ball.

2.  After several minutes of kneading, it begins to form a better ball.  It’s still rough at this stage and not very elastic.

3.  The dough is getting smoother and more elastic, but it’s not quite there yet.

4.  Finally, the dough forms a smooth ball.  The dough is elastic and you only need enough flour to keep it from sticking to the counter.

Step 5 – Rising

Clean out the bowl you used to mix the dough.  Spray it with cooking oil and place the ball of dough in the bowl.  Flip the ball over so the oiled side is on top.  Cover it with a clean cloth or towel.  Set the bowl in a warm place – the top of the refrigerator, on the counter under a light, on top of the stove if the oven is on.  If it’s a warm day, just sitting on the counter may be enough.

After about 1-2 hours, the dough will be doubled in size.

Punch the dough down.  At this point you can choose to put it in pans or let it rise again.  I usually put it in pans, but if I’m busy, I’ll let it rise a second time.  It’s up to you.

Step 6 – Divide and bake

Use a sharp knife to cut the dough in half, then in half again.  Grease 4 bread pans and shape the loaves.  Place them in the pans.  Cover and let rise about 30 minutes or until they’re doubled in size.

This much dough will make enough for 4 loaves of bread.  I made 3 loaves and 2 pans of cinnamon rolls (how-to coming tomorrow).

Bake the loaves at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes.  They should sound hollow when done.  You can also test the loaves with a cake tester.  If it comes out clean, they’re done.

Cool the loaves completely for best slicing.  But I recommend you only give them a few minutes out of the oven before slicing into a loaf.  Slather with butter and enjoy!

You can freeze the loaves too.  Just wrap tightly or put in a gallon size Ziploc freezer bag.

I know, I know.  Quick breads are not ingredients.  But I needed your help and this was the best way I could think of to get it.

You see,  I only have 3 recipes for quick breads on my blog and I love quick breads!  That’s where you come in.  I can’t wait to see the recipes you have for me.

I’m not even going to link to my recipes this week.  I want to see what you’ve got!

Share your recipes!  Link up your quick bread recipes (breads that use no yeast).  Feel free to link as many as you like.  Be sure to link back to Eat at Home in your blog post.  You can use the button below, if you like.  I’ve added the html for you.

<a href=”http://eatathomecooks.com”><img title=”ingredient spotlight button125″ src=”http://eatathomecooks.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/ingredient-spotlight-button1252.jpg” alt=”" width=”125″ height=”125″ /></a>

Dick stole the hoe cake

Ran through the meadow with it

Hid it in a brush pile

And swore he never meddled with it

From Granny Will Your Dog Bite and Other Mountain Rhymes

Hoe cakes are just another way to fix your cornbread, a good variation on a mealtime staple.  When I was growing up, we ate them just like cornbread but you can also have them with syrup if you like.

Here’s what you’ll need:

• 1 cup cornmeal
• 1/2 cup flour
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/4 tsp. of salt
• 1 egg
• 1 cup milk (not in the photo)
• oil for frying

Stir the dry ingredients together in a bowl.  Mix in the egg and milk.  Fry in a skillet or griddle like you would a pancake.  Serve with butter.

Do you call these hoe cakes or jonny cake?  Do you eat them regularly or have you never even heard of them?

My mom used to bake this bread when I was little.  I remember eating it for an afternoon snack and sometimes for breakfast.  It’s a flavorful, moist loaf.  A nice change from banana bread.

Here’s what you’ll need:

• 2 cups sugar
• 3 cups flour
• 1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. salt
• 3 eggs, beaten
• 1 cup oil
• 1 cup crushed pineapple, undrained
• 1 cup grated carrot (2-3 carrots)
• 2 tsp. vanilla
• 1 cup nuts, optional

Stir together the dry ingredients in a mixer bowl.  Add the others in the order listed, mixing between each.  Pour into 2 loaf pans that have been greased and floured very well.  I like to use Baker’s Joy No-Stick Spray with Flour.  Bake at 325 degrees (that’s not a type, the temp is really that low) for 1 hour.  Remove from the pans immediately.

The ingredients call for only 1 cup of crushed pineapple.  I could only find a 20 oz can.  I just dipped 1 cup out with a spoon.  The rest could be used in another recipe or fruit salad.

This is a quick and easy way to dress up frozen roll dough.  I use Rhodes brand, but there are others.  Check in the freezer section of your grocery.

The ingredients are simple and you can alter the seasonings to complement your meal.  Here’s what you’ll need:

• frozen roll dough
• 1/2 stick butter
• dried or fresh herbs
• 1 clove garlic, minced or crushed

Let the dough rise according to the package directions.  Melt the butter and stir in the garlic and herbs.  Brush over the rolls and bake according to the package directions.  Brush more seasoned butter over the rolls after baking.

Next time, I’m going to double this recipe.  This bread is good stuff.  I made it on Thanksgiving Day to go with our soup.  My mom gave me the recipe, but I think it originally comes from Taste of Home Magazine.  Don’t be afraid of the yeast in this recipe.  It’s very easy to make.

Here’s what you’ll need:

• 1 package active dry yeast (2 1/4 tsp)
• 1 1/4 cups warm water, divided
• 1 cup cornmeal
• 1/4 cup non-fat dry milk powder
• 3 Tbs. butter, softened
• 2 Tbs. sugar
• 1 1/4 tsp. salt
• 2 1/2 – 2 3/4 cups flour

Dissolve the yeast in 1/4 cup of warm water in a mixing bowl.  Add all the other ingredients, except the flour and beat until smooth.  Gradually mix in enough flour to form a soft dough.

Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead it for 6-8 minutes.  Work in extra flour if needed.  Place the dough in a greased bowl, turning it to bring up the oiled side.  Cover lightly with a clean towel and let rise about an hour.

Punch the dough down and shape it into a loaf.  Put it in a greased loaf pan and cover it with the towel again.  Let it rise until double in size, about 30 minutes.  Bake at 375 degrees for 35-40 minutes.

We ate the bread warm from the oven.  Mom said it’s very good toasted, but we had none left over to try it that way.

I like to go to restaurants that serve warm bread and olive oil for dipping.  It’s easy to do the same thing at home to dress up dinner or tide everyone over until it’s ready.

Here’s what you’ll need:

Several cloved of garlic, chopped

Plenty of olive oil

oregano, basil, crushed red pepper flakes, thyme, salt and pepper

Pour plenty of oil into a small skillet.  The amount you’ll need depends on how many people you’re feeding and how much dipping they do.  Toss the garlic into the pan and let it roast in the oil over medium heat until it begins to brown a bit.  Remove the oil from the heat and stir in the other seasonings.  I don’t measure any of this, but just go by the way it looks to me.

Serve with bread warmed in the oven.  I often buy bread from the Walmart bakery.  Last time I lucked out and found focaccia marked down to .90.  I’ve also used my own loaves of Depression Era Bread.

Have you seen Clara of Depression Coooking with Clara on the news lately? She is 93 years old and has her own blog and several videos on youtube. With the downturn of the economy, people are very interested in being frugal. Clara shares recipes and stories from her own life during the Great Depression.

I watched her youtube video on making bread. I’ve altered it a bit, but not much. Clara says she uses 5 lbs of flour, 2 oz. of cake yeast and water.

Here’s what I used:

5 lbs. of flour – yes, the whole bag

yeast – I used 7 Tbs, but I think I could have gotten by with less. Maybe 4-5 Tbs.

salt – I used 8 tsp., thinking I would need about 1 tsp. per loaf. This was a bit too much salt. Next time I’ll go for about 6 tsp. Clara doesn’t mention salt, but I think the loaves would taste flat without it.

warm water – About 6 or so cups, but you need to go by what the dough needs.

I followed Clara’s direction to dump the flour in a large bowl. I then mixed in the salt. Make a well in the flour and put the yeast in. Start pouring warm water into the well. Mix the yeast and water with your fingers to dissolve. Start mixing in more flour with your hands, adding water as needed. You will eventually end up with a great big bowl of dough.

After I got all the flour mixed in and I kneaded it in the bowl for a bit, I dumped the dough on the counter and washed out the bowl.

I sprayed the bowl with cooking spray and put the dough back in, turning it to bring up the oiled side. I’m not sure how Clara handles this step, but it’s the way I like to do it. If I knew the dough wouldn’t stick to the bowl, I would have just left it in the bowl to rise without washing and oiling it.

Let the dough rise in a warm place. Cover it loosely with a clean towel while it rises to keep the dough from drying out. After it’s risen, punch it down and divide it up for loaves. I was thinking that this amount of flour would make about 8 loaves. Some of the loaves seemed a bit small though, so next time I may go with 6 instead. Also, I only have 7 bread pans. I liked how the loaf on the cookie sheet turned out though.

Cover the loaves with a clean towel again and let them rise a while longer. Place them in an oven at 350 degrees. I have speed bake (convection oven) and I baked mine for about 30 minutes.

I’ll try this again. Like I said, I need to cut back on the salt a little bit. I think that also might help the loaves rise a bit higher. The taste is good. We polished off 2 loaves in less than 24 hours! The rest went into the freezer for later.

As for cost:

$1.97 – flour

$1.00 – $1.50 for yeast, depending on how much you use and the cost of the jar

So, less than $3.50 for 8 loaves of bread. That’s pretty cheap! And no additives or preservatives, so healthier than store-bought. If you try this, let me know how it turned out for you.

Update:

I sometimes turn this into “Recession Era Bread” by adding a melted stick of butter to the warm water.

I get frustrated when my pictures don’t show the food very well. This is one of those times. This bread is beautiful, golden brown braid with cranberry filling peeking out. Use your imagination, because my photography just isn’t going to help you see it.

Oh, and it tastes wonderful too! The recipe is from the Country Living: Country Morning cook book. It makes 2 loaves.

Gather up you ingredients:

Filling:
1 12oz package cranberries
1 cup sugar
1 Tbs. cornstarch
1/3 cup orange juice

Bread:
1 1/3 cup water
1 1/2 sticks butter, softened
7 – 7 1/2 cups flour
2 packages rapid-rise yeast
2/3 cup sugar
2 Tbs. finely grated orange rind
1 tsp. salt
4 eggs

Prepare the filling: Rinse the cranberries. In a 3-quart saucepan combine the sugar and cornstarch. Stir in the orange juice and cranberries. Heat to boiling over medium heat, stirring constantly until the berries are crushed and the mixture thickens to the consistency of preserves, about 10-15 min. Remove from heat, cover and refrigerate for about 2 hours.

Prepare the dough: Heat the water and butter till melted together. In a mixer bowl combine 2 cups flour, yeast, sugar orange rind and salt. On low speed, gradually beat in the water-butter mixture. Beat for 2 min.

Separate 1 egg, reserving the white for later. Add the yolk to the dough mixture, then beat in the remaining 3 eggs and 2 cups of flour until if forms a soft dough. With a wooden spoon, stir in enough flour to make a stiff dough. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface.

Lightly oil a large bowl and set aside. Knead the dough, working in more flour if necessary until it is smooth and elastic, about 5 min. Shape it into a ball and put it in the oiled bowl, turning to bring up the oiled side. Cover it loosely and let it rise in a warm place for about an hour or 1 1/2 hours.

Grease 2 baking sheets (or use baking stones). Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and cut it in half. Shape each half into a ball and let them rest 5 minutes. Use a floured rolling pin to roll each ball into a 14 x 10 inch rectangle and place on the baking sheets. Lightly brush the top of each with the slightly beaten egg white.

Spread half of the cranberry mixture in a 3 inch wide strip lengthwise down the dough. Cut the dough crosswise on each side of the filling into 1 inch wide strips. Fold these over to braid. Cover and let them rise again for 20 min. Brush the braids with the egg white and bake at 350 degrees for 20 min. Brush again with the white and bake 10 more min.

You can see my dough was a bit too long for the baking stone.

Braiding is easy.

I ended up cutting off the ends to make it fit the stone. I have no perfectionist tendencies. Your bread will probably look prettier than mine. I also tried to make a round braid on my round stone, but there wasn’t enough dough to go all the way around. I’ll spare you the picture. It might not have looked good, but it sure tasted great!

Cornbread is a staple at our house. It comes together fast and goes with lots of meals. This version was passed down to me by my mom who learned it from her mom. The iron skillet is key, because it creates a crust better than a regular baking pan.

Here’s what you’ll need:

I’m showing this recipe off at Tasty Traditions hosted by Coupon Cookin’.