Baking Bread

I posted a while ago that I was debating making my own bread rather than buying it at the store. Two weeks ago I made some sweet Italian type bread (forgot to take pics) and it was a hit. Well, we are officially out of "sandwich" bread in the house so today I made homemade wheat bread. I used a recipe and tips from Urban Homemaker. I did not grind my own flour, though.

I love to make bread. I started making it off and on about 4 years ago and the process is very peaceful for me. But my bread always seems a bit dense. I may try some of the added ingredients Urban Homemaker suggests and see if that helps.

The bread after being kneaded in my Kitchen Aid mixer for about 8.5 minutes. It's ready to rise.


After rising. I got distracted and let it rise longer than I should have. I tucked the ends in a bit before baking.

After baking:

I just tasted it and it's pretty decent. The loaves feel heavy, but the actual bread is tender, not dense.

The entire process took about 2 hours, with very little work from me. I think I may add bread baking to my weekly schedule.