10 1/2 cups white bread flour or wheat flour (sift the white flour)
1/2 cup sugar or 1/3 cup honey
1 Tbsp. Salt
3 rounded Tbsp. Saf-Instant yeast (this is a special yeast that works with dry ingredients...it does not need to be proofed with liquids)
3 Tbsp. liquid lecithin OR FOR WHEATBREAD 4 Tbsp. liquid lecithin (this replaces oil...it tends to make the bread more moist)
4 cups hot tap water OR FOR WHEAT BREAD add 1 cup applesauce as part of water
Mix the dry ingredients. Add lecithin and water (don't measure the lecithin. Just pour and guess!)
Mix for 1 minute and check consistency. If dough is too dry, add more water. Dough should be very sticky and be sticking somewhat the side of the bowl. Mix for 5 minutes for white bread (10 min. by hand) or 10 minutes for wheat bread (20 min. by hand).
Let rise 25 minutes. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes.
This recipe makes four loaves of bread. Use 4 x 8 inch pans.
I usually only make 2 loaves at once. My kitchen-aid seems to handle that better. If you have a bigger mixer, then 4 loaves at once would be great...less work!
Good luck! It's hard to go back to eating store-bought bread when this is so good and so easy. I also buy bread bags and ties and I freeze my extra loaves.
This recipe can also be used to make more delicious goodies...like dinner rolls, bread sticks, and cinnamon rolls. That post may be for another time.
So…..what we’ve been up to lately…..
My parents came in October to visit for a week and a half. We always look so forward to them coming. We did a lot of our usual things while they were here. Eating, playing, shopping, and my dad messing around with the kids.
My baby started walking. Hallelujah! For those of you who don’t know, all three of our boys have a muscle condition and start walking pretty late. Luke started taking lots of steps at 18 months and is now fully walking at 19 months. I think this is my favorite time with my kids. I told Eph that I just now feel like I’m getting the hang of 3 kids. And no, I’m not ready to have another!
My oven has been broken for a week and a half. The gas valve broke and we had to order a new part. Luckily, we have a neighbor who can fix just about anything. Thank you Leif! I told him not to worry about getting it fixed right away because this gave me an excuse for not making dinners. But I soon realized that there are plenty of meals that can be prepared on the stovetop. Shoot.
I helped throw a baby shower for my friend, Kellie. I made 98 cupcakes and 36 peanut butter cookies. And it was the next day that the gas valve broke on my oven. Coincidence?
Ephraim has kept busy with his job and more schooling. He has started a doctorate program in Psychology. I often find myself competing with the laptop for his attention.
I have kept busy with my little side job…tutoring kiddos in math. I’ve also started an ACT prep course for the local high school kids. I held the first class in September and October. I love it. I have a great job!
Noah and Andy are growing like weeds. Noah is learning how to read and advancing quite quickly in math. He’s already learning fractions! I’m pretty sure I didn't do fractions until middle school. Noah goes to amazing preschool if any of you in the Hurricane area are interested! Andy loves his preschool and tries to keep up with his big brother. Our days usually involve a lot of legos, trucks, motorcycles, and diggers.
One more accomplishment. Andy, who has sucked his thumb regularly for the past 3 ½ years, has finally quit. All on his own! There may or may not have been some bribing involved. And we may or may not sometimes catch him sucking his thumb in his sleep. Regardless, we are very proud of him.
Oh yeah...Halloween. It was exhilerating and exhausting all at the same time. The kids' dressed up so many times that I lost count. Thanks to my mom again for the costumes!
And how cute are these neighborhood kids?...
So other than some fun diversions, life goes on like normal. Which includes me feeding three kids throughout the day, changing diapers, getting kids ready for school, preparing for tutoring, and entertaining a 19 month old. It sometimes can get monotonous, but we love every minute of it...well, most of it.
