There are days that seem to just drag on and on, and it is so easy to get stuck in a rut... precious moments escaping into the monotony (webster defines it as "tedious sameness") of daily life. Winter is long, and August and I are trying to carve out moments that matter. We are turning up the music, and dancing more. Turns out the dancing helps.
I started baking Honey Whole-Wheat bread... nothing fancy, just a good old fashioned daily bread, the kind my mom and grandma used to make (one of these days I'll share Grandma Verlie's bread recipe). I love the ritual of mixing and kneading while August is busy "helping" in the kitchen. I love the waiting... while the dough is rising in a warm spot. I don't know what it is about waiting that makes me want to be more intentional about really living in the moment... but, when I'm baking bread, it feels like I am living the life I want to live. And, an added bonus is that the house smells amazing, and we get to enjoy a slice fresh from the oven. August seems pretty pleased about it as well!
Honey Whole-Wheat Bread (Makes 2 Loaves
2 packages (5 teaspoons) active dry yeast
2 cups (16 fl oz) whole milk, heated to warm (105-115 degrees F)
1/4 cup honey
2 large eggs
6 cups whole-wheat flour, plus extra for kneading and topping the loaves
2 tsp sea salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
In a large bowl, dissolve the yeast in the milk and let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. Using a wire whisk, stir in the honey, and eggs. Add the flour, salt, and butter and stir with a wooden spoon until a rough mass forms.
Scrape the dough out of the bowl onto a lightly floured work surface. Knead until it is smooth and elastic, dusting the work surface with only enough flour to keep dough from sticking, 5-7 minutes.
Form dough into ball and transfer it to a lightly oiled bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap (or dish towel) and let the dough rise in a warm, draft-free spot until it doubles in bulk. (1 1/2 -2 hours)
Butter 2 9x5 inch loaf pans.
Punch down the dough and scrape it onto a clean work surface. Cut the dough in half and shape into loaves. Place seam side down into loaf pans and let rise (covered) until double in size, 45-60 minutes.
Position a rack in the middle of the oven, and preheat to 375 degrees F.
Dust top of loaves with whole wheat flour. Bake until they are honey brown and sound hollow when tapped (35-40 minutes). Be Careful not to overbake this bread or it will be dry. Carefully remove loaves from the pans and let cool completely on wire racks before slicing.
note: I like to throw in a good handful of rolled oats into the dough before kneading, and after the second rise, I butter the tops of the loaves and sprinkle them with oats before putting them in the oven. I find that the loaves keep best stored in the fridge, but a bread box would work well too.
