Oma (aka my mother-in-law) is one of the most accomplished cooks I know, and her breads showed me what real homemade bread is supposed to be like. Not too dense, not too light, cuts perfectly, rises wonderfully….amazing stuff. She makes bread every week and has all her life so I suppose she should know how by now!

I was always a bit intimidated by making homemade bread so I left it to my husband (who is an accomplished breadmaker himself). However, cutting back on grocery bills and trying to live cheaper finally got me over the hump...and I discovered delicious homemade bread isn't really that hard! It's actually easy! (and so much better than "store-boughten"). Here is the recipe for whole wheat bread, and here is the recipe for white bread.

Please note that she gets her whole wheat flour from wheat seeds that she grinds at home. You might need to add some dough helpers to get store-bought flour to taste and act the same, although I haven't had a problem with my Robin Hood brand (Canadian - if you're buying American flour look for something listed specifically for breads so the protein content is right since American flour is different than Canadian).

(yields 4 large loaves)

• 5 c. warm water
• 1/2 c. liquid honey
• 2 T. (rounded) instant yeast
• 1/2 c. vegetable oil
• 3/4 c. ground flax
• 1/3 c. wheat germ
• 2-3 eggs
• 3 t. salt
• 7 c. white flour
• 7 c. brown flour (whole wheat)
• sunflower seeds (optional)

Mix all ingredients except flour together, by hand or in a big mixer with the dough hook attachment. I like mixing the yeast, water and honey together first and then waiting a couple of minutes to see bubbles, just to make sure that my yeast is still good - don't want to go through all the work and have flat bread! However, if you're using instant yeast (not regular) then you can add it last.

One variation on the recipe above that I like is adding up to 1 cup of sour cream to replace water.  It seems to make the bread less crumbly and has a nice taste.

Add 4 c. white flour and 3 c. whole wheat and beat. Add another 7 c. of flour (reverse the proportions or add all 7 of white), more or less depending on humidity, until dough forms a ball.

Here's where the type of yeast used makes a big difference. If you don't know whether or not your yeast is instant, follow the regular yeast directions.

Regular Yeast:

Take the bowl with the ball of dough in it and cover it with a clean dry towel. Put it someplace warm and not drafty and let the dough rest until it doubles in size.

Take the towel off and start kneading the bread with your clean hands. There is a trick to this, but it won't do any harm if you're not an expert - it'll come with time. Basically, you want to get the flour proteins to get more elastic so squish it around with one hand and a fist. When the dough ball feels smooth, take the dough and fill your loaf pans with it (I like buttering my pans for a crispy crust). Put the pans in a warm place and allow the dough to rise to eating-loaf size (whatever size you want - leave it longer and you'll get a higher bread).

Bake at 375 F until the bottom is nicely browned. Take it out of the oven and spread butter on the top for extra flavor and moistness, but allow to cool in pans.

Instant Yeast:

Make loaves and allow to rise slightly over the pan.

Bake at 375 F until bottom is nicely browned - don't pay any attention to the top, it's the bottom you have to check. Take it out of the oven and spread butter on the top for extra flavor and moistness.

Loaves aren't the only thing you can make with this dough. Buns, pizza, cinnamon rolls - you name it, if it's a bread you can use this recipe. Here are some pictures of what I typically use my dough for: 2 loaves (what we can use in a week), buns or rolls and one pizza.