Country white bread

In a glass bowl, add 1 c. lukewarm water, 1 tsp. sugar & mix in 4 tsps. dry yeast until dissolved. Let sit 5 minutes, until yeast begins to activate.

While yeast is proofing, melt 4 Tblsp. butter in a bowl, add 2 cups of warmed milk combined with 4 Tblsp. honey. Add to the yeast mixture and stir.

In a large bowl, combine the liquids with 3-4 cups white flour (bread flour is best because of the gluten content) and 1 heaping tsp. salt - stir well. Continue adding flour (a BIT at a time) until a workable dough is formed. Turn onto a floured board and continue to knead 5-10 minutes until a semi-firm (but not TOO sticky or firm) dough is produced.

Put dough into a greased bowl (stoneware or pyrex) and cover loosely with a towel. Put in a draft free place and let rise until doubled, approximately 1 hour.

Turn dough onto a floured surface and divide in 2 equal parts. Form each part into a loaf size (rolling & folding seams under) - place each pc. into a greased aluminum loaf pan (glass pans are AWFUL for bread baking- and darkened teflon pans aren't much better!). Cover loosely with a towel and let rise again until doubled in size, approx. 45 minutes - 1 hour.

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Place the loaves in the oven and bake approx. 40-45 minutes until crust is golden... remove from oven & carefully remove a loaf of bread from a pan - tap the bottom of the loaf - if it sounds hollow, it's done. If it looks like it needs more baking time, put it back in the oven for another 5 minutes or so.

Oatmeal Bread

In a

small bowl, add 1/3 c. warm water, 2 Tblsp. dry yeast & a pinch of sugar - stir to dissolve; yeast will be activated when it becomes foamy.

In a large bowl, combine 2-1/2 cup rolled oats, 2 tblsp. molasses, 1/3 cup honey, 1/3 cup butter (cut into small pcs.) 1 Tblsp. salt.

In a small saucepan or glass bowl (microwave), heat 1-1/2 cups milk until warmed. Pour the milk over the oat mixture & stir well - add the foamy yeast mixture and stir until completely mixed.

Slowly, add 4-1/2 cups bread flour, a little at a time, mixing well until the dough is soft. Knead for 10 minutes until smooth & elastic. You can do this by hand or with a heavy duty mixer (Kitchen Aid).

Place the dough into a greased bowl, cover with a towel and set in a warm, draft-free place until doubled in bulk, around an hour. Divide dough in half; shape into loaves. Place in greased loaf pans - cover with a cloth & let rise again, until doubled in bulk, approx. 45 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees - Mix 1 Tblsp. molasses with 2 teasp. water (for glaze). Gently brush glaze over the tops of bread - then sprinkle each with a few Tblsp. rolled oats.

Bake loaves for 40-45 minutes, until the bread sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom. Remove from pans, cool on wire racks. Oatmeal bread is divine when toasted!!!

Honey Wheat Bread

If you aren't familiar with bread baking, yeast proofing & kneading, check out a basic cookbook for more detailed instructions/technique. This is an abbreviated version (the way I make it). I use a heavy-duty Kitchen Aid mixer to 'knead' the dough, but you can use a mixing bowl to combine the ingredients and just knead the dough by hand for approximately 5 minutes. I usually buy wheat flour in bulk at Whole Foods Market, but King Arthur, Hodgson Mills, Gold Medal or Pillsbury works just as well. If you bake as much bread as I do, you might consider buying a large package of yeast from GFS; they sell a BIG bag (like 2 cups of dry yeast) for around $5.-6., which is a STEAL!

In 1 C warm water, stir in 1/2 tsp. sugar to dissolve. Add 4 tsp. dry yeast and stir to dissolve. Let it proof for 5 minutes or so until yeast starts bubbling/activating.

While the yeast is proofing, in a glass bowl, melt 4 Tblsp. butter (microwave) --- to the melted butter, add 6 Tblsp. honey and 1-1/2 C. milk. Microwave for another minute or so, or just until milk is warm. Stir well.

In a large mixing bowl (or metal Kitchen Aid mixing bowl), combine the milk/honey/butter with the proofed yeast. Mix it up to combine. Add 2-1/2 cups wheat flour, 1 teasp. salt, 1 cup BREAD flour (higher gluten % than standard all purpose white flour) and mix well. Continue adding flour 1/4 cup at a time, until the dough gets thick and starts holding together. The total amount of dough varies - between 5-6 cups... be careful not to add TOO much flour though- that would produce a very dense, dry, tough bread.

Once all the flour is added, put a dough hook on the mixer and knead the dough for 5 minutes. You can also do this by hand on a wooden board or countertop - sprinkling with flour to keep the dough from sticking. Remove it from the mixing bowl and continue kneading by hand for another minute or 2.

After the dough is thoroughly kneaded, place it in a lightly oiled ceramic bowl, put it in a warm, draft-free area (NOT A HOT OVEN!), cover it with a towel and let it rise until doubled in bulk, about an hour. Once the dough has risen, punch it down and turn it onto a lightly floured surface. If you want to form the dough into loaves (baked in a pan), divide the dough in half. Grease 2 standard sized loaf pans. Knead each section of dough and form into loaves- place in the pans.

If you want a more 'free' style loaf, knead the dough, divide into equal parts and shape into balls - using a rolling pin, roll into a circle (frisbee shape), or whatever shape you prefer. Place the dough onto a lightly greased cookie sheet. Let the dough rise another 20 minutes, whether in a pan, or shaped on a sheet.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Bake the free formed loaves for approx. 18-24 minutes - check after 18 minutes to ensure that it's fully baked (lightly golden brown on top & bottom). The dough in loaf pans will take a bit longer, possibly another 10-15 minutes.

Again, check a cookbook with detailed instructions on bread baking if you're not very familiar with it. I could SHOW you how to do this much better than writing it out! :-)