Smell of Bread

Many people would agree that the smell of a fresh loaf of bread right out of the oven is one of the most comforting, amazing smells. And many people don’t have a clue how bread is made, which leads to the mistaken belief that bread is difficult to make. This couldn’t be further from the truth.

We made the decision a few months back to start, in earnest, to make as much food as we possibly can, first on our own land and second by just buying whatever ingredients we don’t yet produce on our own. No pre-packaged anything, nothing pre-made or partially made, all from scratch. So far, we’ve been able to remove things like eggs, pork, and chicken from our grocery list, as well as much of our fruit and vegetables. We’re working on grains, dairy, and beef and increasing what we’re already producing.

One of the biggest changes for all of us was switching to all homemade bread and buns. Bread has been a staple in many traditional diets for a long, long time. There are, naturally, many ways to make bread and many variations, but at the end of the day, bread is very much at the foundation of different diets and traditions.

A dear friend of mine from the UK sent me her tried and tested bread recipe for simple sandwich bread. It’s four ingredients – flour, yeast, salt, and milk – and takes about 10 minutes of actual time input. The rising time is about an hour and a half to two hours. Everyone loves it, and for our large family, one loaf of bread a day is pretty standard.

Since bread is such a staple for so many, why don’t more people make their own more often? Perception, as previously mentioned, is one reason, and time is certainly another. What is bread? The most basic bread is flour (wheat, rye, etc.), some sort of leavening agent (sourdough starter, yeast), water, and salt. Ingredients like oil, sugar, eggs, spices, dried fruit, and seeds are lovely additions to bread recipes and create interesting tastes and textures.

If you are looking to incorporate more ‘homesteading’ or traditional activities into your life, bread-making is one of those activities that anyone can easily do, regardless of location, with just a little planning ahead.

Here’s my go-to bread recipe. I hope you enjoy it.

• 14 oz of yeast
• 10 oz of salt
• 4 cups of flour
• 2 cups of milk

• Mix together dry ingredients.
• Warm milk to around 110 degrees F … this is quite warm to the touch but shouldn’t be uncomfortable if you were to test with a clean finger
• Pour milk into dry ingredients and let sit for about 5 minutes
• Mix everything together with a spoon. When that becomes difficult, pour out onto a floured surface and knead the dough until smooth.
• Place back into the bowl and cover with a damp tea towel. Let rise for about an hour or until double its size.
• Punch down the dough and knead for another few minutes. Place into a greased bread pan. Let rise for another half hour to 24 minutes.
• Place into a preheated oven of 350 degrees F for about 25 minutes or until the top is a deep golden brown.
• Remove from pan and place on the cooling rack right away. Wait until cool to slice.