Mama C's Best Bread Recipe

I don't eat much bread these days, probably because my body just doesn't like it. That and, well, store bread has become disgusting. I found I was trying to buy "healthy bread" over the last few years, and although it was supposed to be healthy, it tasted like crap too. Just more stuff in it. I also have been working diligently to not buy prepared foods or anything with preservatives and such in it, we just don't need all of that garbage in our bodies either. 

So...with having a 16 year old in the house, that eats like a horse, I thought I would start baking bread. I stopped baking bread years ago, actually in 1990, as I was pregnant with my middle son Devon. I was a good little wife, stayed home, looked after babies, barefoot and pregnant, I cooked, I baked, I did crafts like all good wives do. (lol...well at the time I thought so) On top of that I was baking bread, no bread maker, just my bare hands, thank goodness I watched my mom and both of my grandmothers bake bread, I wouldn't have a clue otherwise, as it's an art. Long story short, I had to stop baking bread as it was causing contractions, every time I started kneading the dough. That was about once a week back then, the doc just said no way, you're off bread duty. I haven't baked bread since. 

Until recently, I was searching for comfort food, and well always go back to things from our childhood primarily, I do anyhow. I pulled out the bread maker, which actually is a hand me down from the significant other of the man I called husband way back then. Too funny. I guess something good came out of it. LOL! I started experimenting with bread recipes and we started eating bread again. 

There truly is nothing like home baked bread. And yes, I continue to slather the butter on it, however I am now in a 12 step no bread program for my addiction that I've caused. Now I only bake enough for my kids to each get a loaf, and my youngest for his lunches for the week. Store bread doesn't even come close, in fact after eating home made bread again, I'm not going to buy store bread again. The great thing is, for whatever reason, my homemade bread doesn't bother my guts quite as much.

I've perfected the recipe and wanted to share and hope that you try it.

Recipe

Pull out your bread maker, as this is a bread maker recipe!

In the bottom of your mixing container add items in this order:
1 cup of water
2 tbsp of honey or 2 tbsp of sugar
2 eggs
2 tbsp butter or 1/4 cup of oil
1 tsp salt
3 cups of Robinhood Flour ( I usually use 2 cups of white all purpose and 1 cup of bread blend for loaves/buns)
1 1/2 tsps bread maker yeast

Place in bread maker on dough setting only. I never cook my bread in the bread maker as it gets too hard and crusty. I find baking it in the oven gives me two smaller loaves that are much softer. Once the dough cycle is complete, flour your counter surface and knead the dough. Cut the dough in two equal parts (if you want two smaller loaves) and place in Pam sprayed pans or greased with butter. If you chose to use as one loaf, make sure it's a bigger loaf pan. I use my grandmothers if I only want one, that pan still keeps going!

Once in the loaf pan, I cover the dough and let it rise, usually an hour or so, until it reaches a nice height. For this I tend to preheat my convection microwave oven for a few minutes just to make it warm and set the pans in there to rise.

Bake the bread on 350 for about 30 minutes, I pull mine out when it gets a nice golden brown. Once out of the oven, pull the bread out of the pans immediately and put on cooling racks. (the bread gets soggy if you don't do this) Use a pastry brush to brush the tops of the bread with butter.

If you want variations to this bread, I've substituted Rye flour for 1 cup and add flax, grains and especially spices. When I bake this bread for dinner, I always throw a blend of spices in that compliment the main entree that I'm creating. This is the easiest recipe to adapt! You can't go wrong~!

Added note:

I use this dough recipe for everything. We make our homemade pizza out of it, we just start a little earlier making the dough. It will make a large cookie sheet and a round pizza pan worth of dough.

I make tray buns, when cut into equal potions, this recipe fits into a 9x13 pan.

Cinnamon buns!!! Yes! Just made some today.
The one bread recipe will make a 9x13 pan.

Enjoy!

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