Simple. Versatile. Healthy. Moist.Ingredients:
3 Cups: White bread flour
1 Cup: Whole wheat flour
2 tsp: Fine grain sea salt
1 Tbsp: Active dry yeast, or 1 tsp. dry instant yeast
1 Cup: 2% Milk (heated)
1/4 Cup: Wildflower, or standard honey
2 Tbsp: Butter (I prefer Irish Kerrygold unsalted butter)
Directions:
In a bowl whisk together 2 cups of flour and salt. (set aside)
In small pot lightly warm milk and add butter and honey until dissolved. Take off stove and cool until 115-120 degrees, no hotter – yeast dies at temperatures hotter than 120 degrees. Mix active dry yeast to milk, honey and butter mixture and let it sit and “get happy” for a couple of minutes before adding to the flour.
Combine milk, yeast and honey mixture with the two cups of flour and salt, gradually add the third cup of white flour in increments. (may not need to use all of it).
Once dough comes together, sprinkle some of the last remain cup of flour and knead the bread for a good 5-10 minutes.
Place dough in a lightly greased bowl. Cover and let rise until is doubles in size. If the house is warm, rising should take about an hour-and-a-half. If cool, rising could take up to four hours for a slow rise (which works just as well).
Punch down the risen dough and shape for baking, You can use one large pan or do two small loaf pans. I prefer on large loaf myself. Cover and let sit for another 45 minutes or so, until it has double in size.
Brush the top of the loaf with an egg white wash and sprinkle cornmeal or oats, whatever you prefer.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees and cook for 30 minutes. Viola!
Wait until it cools, slice and begin to enjoy the yummy goodness. Great for breakfast toast, cinnamon toast, sandwich bread. Or whatever you can think of.
Have taste tested this with adults and kids, both gave me big smiles after their first bite.
