Basic Homemade Bread

1. Whisk together in large KitchenAid bowl:

• 2 1/2 cups hot water
• 1/3 cup canola oil (or melted butter)
• 1/3 cup sugar (white or brown or honey)
• 1 TBSP salt

2. Add 1 cup bread flour and whisk for 30 seconds. Add 1 1/2 TBSP yeast and whisk for 30 seconds again.

3. Gradually add an additional 5-6 cups bread flour, 1/2 cup oat bran, 1/4 cup rolled oatmeal, and 1/4 cup ground flaxseed (You can adjust this however you want to use whole wheat flour, wheat bran, etc--whatever you want). Let the mixer knead the dough for about 5 to 8 minutes. The dough should be soft but not sticky.

4. Let rise in a clean, greased, covered bowl for about 30 minutes in a warm place (like the oven).

5. When dough has risen, punch it down and heat your oven to 175 degrees (or "warm"). Grease your bread pans (generously) and the counter with olive oil spray. Divide the dough. I divide it in half, and then one of those halves into half again, so I have 3 sets of dough, 2 smaller and one larger. The larger one I use to make a normal sized loaf, and the smaller ones to make 2 mini loaves. Roll the dough into a long oblong shape. You want to hear all the bubbles pop out. Roll a tight cylinder, tuck the ends under or squish them and place it in a greased bread pan. Repeat with remaining dough. Sometimes I top with wheat germ and/or sunflower seeds to look all fancy.

6. Place loaves in warm oven for about 30 minutes or until the dough has risen to fill the pan. Turn the oven up to 350 degrees with the pans still in and cook for about 30 minutes. The bread is done when you hit the top and it sounds hollow. Turn out on a wire rack and let cool completely before cutting if you want it to cut into nice slices for sandwiches. (Or, be like us and gobble a bunch up hot, smothered in butter and freezer jam, because that is how bread should be eaten, right?)

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