The Kitchen Door

A few months ago we (and by “we” I mean “I” with Mike along for the ride rolling his eyes and shaking his head) started living a more chemical free life and looking for ways to embrace a more organic and sustainable way of doing things.

So far in the game, it has been a wild ride.

I’ve started washing my hair with baking soda and making my own conditioner with apple cider vinegar and lavender essential oil.

I stopped buying commercial deodorant (which is filled with bad cooties) and started making my own (which works like a dream and smells like coconut cookies).

No more lotion (organic cocoa butter does the trick), no more chap stick (soon I’ll share a recipe for a lovely tinted lip balm made with shea and cocoa butters and beeswax.

All the convenience mixes that once were a staple in my kitchen have been abandoned and replaced with homemade (and better tasting) versions like this taco seasoning recipe.

We don’t buy as much breakfast cereal anymore , we eat this instead.

No longer do I need to spend a lot of money on various household cleansers, one multi purpose homemade formula has replaced my 409, windex, clorox spray, and pinesol (it cost only pennies a use and has no harmful chemicals).

The blue toilet bowl cleanser has been replaced with good ol’ vinegar and baking soda (I use that to unclog drains too).

Homemade laundry detergent and fabric softener are other great discoveries.

So why am I telling you all of this on a bread post?  Well, we like bread.  We like bread a lot.  We like bread too much.   Bread also likes me.  It must LOVE me because it sticks around and wants to be part of me… literally.

Why can’t lima beans or brussels sprouts be the things that are carb laden and therefore on the “eat in moderation” list?  Sigh.  Anyhow, because I am no longer buying preservative laden foods for my household, I find that I am having to make my own bread.  It used to be that I would make a loaf of whatever hit my fancy. Now I’m having to put thought into the bread I make.  Brioche Burger Buns are yummy terrific, as are Honey Yeast Rolls but  sometimes you just want a nice piece of good white bread. So, my bread making day has gone from one day a week to two days a week.  One day it’s all about yummy specialty bread the other day is all about our good ol’ sandwich bread.

I found this recipe on the King Arthur Flour website.  It’s pretty tasty delicious and the dough is a pleasure to work with.  It is fluffy soft , slices beautifully and is just as the name states, a loaf of perfect “Classic Sandwich Bread”.

Hope you enjoy it!  Whether you are turning into some crazy hippie like I am or not you’ll still find that this bread will beat out any bread on the grocers shelf in both the taste and cost per loaf categories.

Classic Sandwich Bread

Makes one loaf of fluffy, soft, yummy bread.

The Ingredients

• 3 cups unbleached All-Purpose Flour
• 1/2 cup milk (skim, 1%, 2% or whole, your choice)
• 1/2 to 2/3 cup hot water, enough to make a soft, smooth dough
• 4 TBS melted butter
• 2 TBS sugar
• 1 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 tsp instant yeast

 

The Instructions

1. Mix the cold-from-the-refrigerator milk with 1/2 cup of the hot-from-the-tap water to make a lukewarm combination.
2. Mixing: In a large bowl, combine all of the ingredients and stir till the dough starts to leave the sides of the bowl. Transfer the dough to a lightly greased surface, oil your hands, and knead it for 6 to 8 minutes, or until it begins to become smooth and supple. (You may also knead this dough in an electric mixer or food processor, or in a bread machine set to the dough or manual cycle). Transfer the dough to a lightly greased bowl, cover the bowl, and allow the dough to rise till puffy though not necessarily doubled in bulk, about 1 to 2 hours, depending on the warmth of your kitchen.
3. Shaping: Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled work surface, and shape it into an 8" log. Place the log in a lightly greased 8 1/2" x 4 1/2" loaf pan, cover the pan loosely with lightly greased plastic wrap, and allow the bread to rise for about 60 minutes, until it’s domed about 1" above the edge of the pan. A finger pressed into the dough should leave a mark that rebounds slowly.
4. Baking: Bake the bread in a preheated 350°F oven for 30 to 35 minutes, until it’s light golden brown. Test it for doneness by measuring its interior temperature with an instant-read thermometer (it should register 190°F at the center of the loaf). Remove the bread from the oven, and cool it on a wire rack before slicing. Store the bread in a plastic bag at room temperature.

By: The Kitchen Door

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