Who Will Help Me Make The Bread?

I'm sure you all remember the story of the Little Red Hen...well, this story strikes a cord with my kids because they know what it means to "make the bread". I was thinking about this again today as I was not only making bread, but grinding more wheat to fill the wheat container. Each kid takes a turn at grinding the wheat. Usually they take turns adding ingredients to the bread dough too (if I don't shu them off). Their favorite part is punching down the dough (and snitching a little at the same time). And in the end, no one can say they can't have any fresh, hot bread!

For me, though, making bread is something else all together. As long as I can remember my grandmother made homemade bread. It was called "Grammy Bread" which was then turned into "Grammy toast". The smell of fresh hot bread is a soothing comfort of loving family. It's a sense of peace and relaxation. (Comfort food)

My favorite parts of making the bread are when my hands are actually in the dough. I love the way it feels, and I love to kneed it. In fact, I have to be careful not to over kneed my bread. Every time I make bread, I am reminded of the people who made bread for me all growing up. My Grandma Boone... always. And My mother... for a nice treat and so we could "make" bread too.

To me, bread is a symbol of love and nurturing. I guess that's probably why I love to make bread so much. (And why I love that others love my bread so much.) I figure that if I put the time into making something vital for my family, then my love for them will some how trickle into the dough while I'm kneeding and fill my family up!

And for anyone who likes my bread or has lost my recipe (because you can't find it any where else), here it is... the most commonly requested of my breads, and the one my family loves the most:

Tara's Bread (All molassas in the winter, half molassas and half honey the rest of the year)

Combine in small sauce pan, 1 cup of butter (or margarine), 1/2 cup molassas (or 1/4 molassas and 1/4 honey) and 1 1/2 cups water. Heat until butter has melted. Remove from heat.

While that is cooling, combine in a mixing bowl 3 cups ground whole wheat flour, 2 cups rolled oats, 2 cups all-purpose flour, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 4 1/2 teaspoons active yeast (or two packages). Add two eggs and blend well. Now add the mixture from the saucepan. Kneed for 5 minutes. Add up to 1 more cup of all-purpose flour and kneed another 3 minutes. Remove from bowl and kneed by hand until smooth.

Place in a greased bowl, roll to coat, cover lightly. Allow to rise until doubled (about 1 hour). Punch down, divide into two equal parts. Roll into loaf shape, place in greased bread pans, roll to coat, cover lightly and allow to rise until double (about 30 minutes - 1 hour). Bake in a preheated oven at 375 degrees for 40 minutes. Remove from pans immediately and place on a cookie rack on their sides to cool. Cover with a towel to allow slow cooling.

For a softer crust, when loaves are warm (but not hot), place in a plastic bag. Leave the bag open so moisture can escape. When completely cool, completely close bag to keep fresh.

Can't you just smell the fresh bread now? Enjoy!