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Healthy Living Made Simple!

The Power of a Simple Loaf

June 11, 2025

Have you ever walked into a home that has just baked a fresh loaf of bread?

There is nothing more welcoming than the smell of freshly baked bread. That is the first thing I mastered as a teenager. Making the family bread was my summer chore. A double batch of bread every week it seemed, for the nine people living in our household. The same recipe from the old red and white checkered Better Crocker cookbook, worked great for loaves, rolls and even cinnamon rolls. I have only altered the recipe a little throughout all these years. It is one of the few I have memorized.

I remember sitting at the counter after school when I was young, watching my mom kneading the dough and shaping it for the loaf pans. Sometimes she even gave us a lump of dough to shape into our very own teddy bear. A large ball for the body, a bit smaller one for the head, medium stretched balls for the legs and arms pressed gently into the body. Don’t forget tiny blobs for ears and raisins pressed deeply in the head for eyes. It was so fun to work with the soft, yeast smelling dough and turn it into a tasty work of art. Waiting for it to rise and bake was the hardest part. Devouring warm, fresh bread straight from the oven is something everyone needs to try at least once!

Over the years I have taught this recipe to numerous friends and it has been a welcomed gift to new moms, neighbors and friends. It can be used for special holiday cinnamon rolls, Sunday dinner rolls, pizza crust on a Friday night, or perfect peanut butter sandwich bread. Any meal is elevated with fresh bread. It takes minimal ingredients that are commonly found in any grocery store, and always turns out tasty. Even the fourth graders I have taught it to, use it to bake for their families. So fun!

While kneading the dough and watching it rise, the slow pace of breadmaking makes me nostalgic for the simpler days of my pioneer ancestors. It’s an old time tradition that never gets outdated. The smell of freshly baked bread brings a sense of welcome and love to those who step in the door. I think bread making is worth finding time in your busy life for, at least once in a while. And, when you make it, you can control the ingredient list, incorporating whole grain flour, minimal oil and sugar and no weird preservatives. Don’t worry…it shouldn’t be around long enough to go bad.

BREAD

Basic Sandwich Bread

Great for Cinnamon rolls and pizza dough

3 1/2c. Warm water

¼ c. sugar

2 Tbs. yeast

7-9 c. flour-use half whole wheat flour if desired

1 heaping Tbs. salt

2-3 Tbs. oil or shortening/butter

Mix the first 3 ingredients with about 4 cups of flour. Let the sponge sit for 10 minutes. Add salt, oil and the remainder of the flour. Add enough flour for the dough to pull away from the sides of the bowl while mixing. Knead dough by hand for 8-10 minutes until the gluten is developed and the dough is smooth and can be stretched thin without breaking apart (window pane test). You can also use a mixer for about 6-7 minutes.

a sliced loaf of bread sitting on top of a wooden cutting board

Proof the dough in a large bowl for about 1 hour or until doubled in size, covered with a kitchen towel or loose plastic wrap. Punch down and shape into 3 loaves. Rest loaves, loosely covered for about 30-45 minutes or until doubled in size. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Bake for 30 minutes. When you thump the bottom of the loaf it should sound hollow. Immediately empty from pans onto a cooling rack when done baking. Let cool completely before slicing (if you can wait that long).