Bread Therapy

As a result of my hobby, I have learned other hobbies to support my persona. One of these is baking. I have discovered that I love to bake! The mixing of ingredients is really therapeutic, the to put it in the oven and enjoy a treat afterwards does not help either!

This past Monday I shared my love of baking with my eldest niece who was spending the day with us. She loves to get in the kitchen and play around. So we put on our aprons and began the process to make bread. The recipe I use is called "Amish White Bread"
2/3 cups of sugar dissolved in 2 cups of water
Add 2 yeast packets- let proof until foamy.
add 1/4 cup of oil and 1 1/2 tsp of salt
add 6 cups of flour one at a time.

 This recipe makes 2 loaves at a time which does help when baking for a large crowd or to freeze for future use. After kneading the dough, it is set to rise for an hour. Punched down then divided into loaves and set to rise for 30 more minutes. Bake at 400 for 30 minutes and wahla! Fresh, incredible bread!
 I like to eat fresh out of the oven with some butter or honey. We have it as a side dish, use it for sandwiches, or eat it with some peanut butter.
Recently I have had a craving for tomatoes! Luckily our neighbor has a patch of them growing near the fence and lets me take what I wish, usually about 2 or 3 at a time, since DH does not like them. So my new favorite way to devour this amazing bread is the some of the tomato. And as many in the South, I grew up on the tomato sandwich!  So add a little mayonnaise, some salt & pepper, then some tomato! Its the best thing I have eaten in a while! I must confess I have ate about 5 tomatoes in the past few nights, but no worry!

So now you see why I call it "Bread Therapy" Such a good treat on a summer day!!