Easy Delicious Homemade Bread

 

If only you could smell my house right now....mmmmmmm! 

Nothing beats the smell of fresh baked bread!

You CAN make your own bread. It's not too hard and not too time consuming, I promise!! We eat sandwiches almost every day for lunch around here. Nut butter sandwiches, veggie sammys with hummus, smashed bean and greens with avocado.....sandwiches are the BEST and they are even yummier and healthier when you make them yourself from trusted, wholesome ingredients. My go-tos are Whole Wheat-Quinoa-Flax loaf and Whole Wheat-Oatmeal-Flax loaf. (I like Bob's Red Mill Whole Wheat) The quinoa loaves have protein, iron and the flax gives those great omega-3s. The Oatmeal loaves have a comforting, hearty bite and have folate, calcium, and of course those omega-3s. Bread is NOT empty carbs!! It is delicious and an easy way to pack more nutrients into the tummy's of your loved ones!!

 What you'll need: (makes 2 loaves)

5 Cups lukewarm water
4 Tablespoons of raw sugar
2 Tablespoons of salt
2 Tablespoons (or packets) of yeast
5-8 Cups of whole-wheat flour
3 cups of either Quinoa flour OR Oat flour (ground up oats)

1/2 cup ground flax-seed

1 large mixing bowl
1 large wooden spoon or spatula

• Pour 5 cups of lukewarm water into the large bowl. Add the sugar, salt and yeast. Stir until all ingredients are dissolved.

•  Add 5 cups of whole-wheat flour and 3 cups of Quinoa or Oat flour (depending on which type of bread you're making) into the liquid mixture. Stir together with a wooden spoon until it comes together into a ball. This is when you ditch the spoon and use your hands.
• knead the dough for at least 10 minutes. (tip: I just knead the dough right in the mixing bowl because then there's no mess!) You'll need to add some whole wheat flour as you go until the dough is no longer sticky (when you can stick your finger into the center of the ball of dough and it comes out clean, you can stop adding flour).
• When you're done kneading, cover the bowl with a kitchen towel and let it rest for 1 hour. Then punch it down and cover and let rest for another 45 minutes. Then punch the dough down and slice down the middle into two equal balls and plop balls into greased pans. Let rise for another 45 min. 
• Bake at 375 for 30 min. 

 **HERE'S THE BEAUTY OF THIS BREAD: If you have to leave the house and can't be held to the 1 hour, then 45 min, then 45 min of rising for these loaves....NO WORRIES!! It happens to me all the time! I'll come back after two hours the first rise and punch it down, then let it rise for another hour or so, then pop it in the oven...it's very forgiving!! the key is to make sure it's risen in the bread pans to a height that you like when you're ready to bake...that's it!! It'll be delicious, don't be scared!! ;) **

 

Have your kids help! The more involved they are with the cooking, the more they'll learn about whole foods, and the more they'll get excited about whole foods and eat them!!

anything goes...I have one bread pan and a whole bunch of cake pans, so when I make bread use one of each. Just plop the dough in the center of the greased pan and it'll rise enough to fill it. 

**It's fun having different sized loaves because it makes for different sized sandwiches!**