Did you know that Novermber 17 is Homemade Bread Day? You will have to trust me on this. There is no better way to celebrate this day than by baking your own loaf of bread. Once you have the basics, there will be no stopping you.

Basic Homemade Bread

Ingredients

1 package of active dry yeast
1 cup warm water
1 teaspoon of salt
1 egg
1/8 cup olive oil
3 to 3-1/2 cups all-purpose unbleached flour

Directions

In large mixing bowl, dissolve yeast in water. Whisk in salt, egg, and olive oil; stir in 1-1/2 cups of flour. Beat until smooth. Stir in enough remaining flour to make the dough easy to handle.

Turn dough onto floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic (4 to 5 minutes). Put back in mixing bowl and cover with plastic wrap and let rise in warm place until double (about 1/2 hour).

Punch dough down and pat or roll into rectangle (roughly 18 x 9 inches). Roll up tightly beginning at shorter side; pinch seams together; fold ends under loaf. Place seam side down in greased baking pan (9 x 5 x 3 inches). Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in warm place until double (about 1/2 hour).

Remove plastic wrap but leave loaf in pan. Heat oven to 375 degrees and bake for 30 to 35 minutes. The bread loaf should appear golden brown and sound hollow when tapped. Remove from pan. Allow cool. Eat. Use a serrated knife to cut bread.

Baking bread will make your whole house smell wonderful. 

By the Way, Watkins has its seasonal bread mixes now. There is Orange Spice Bread Mix, also Apple Spice and Pumpkin Spice. I ordered the orange and pumkin spice bread mixes. Visit http://www.watkinsonline.com/ryanes and look in Monthly Specials.