The Tastiest Bread Ever



This really was the best loaf I have yet made.  I'm writing it down as a recipe here, but really I was feeling experimental just added this and that until it looked right. I could never recreate it completely.  Hopefully this is close.

I did it in the food processor, so that's how it's written.  If you're more of a bread purist, you probably know better than I how to do it by hand. :-)  It would basically be the same recipe, but you add your dry ingredient mixture to the yeast and water instead of the other way around.

The cereal is my first attempt at making granola.  Honey and walnuts.  It really is as easy as it seems!  I used Leila's recipe as a starting point, but I don't like coconut so that was left out.  And I left out the dried fruit too, since I only had a meager handful of Craisins for all that cereal.  That can always be added in later.

And now for a goofy picture of my children:

The Best Bread Ever

In a one-cup Pyrex measuring cup, combine:

• 1/3 cup warm water
• 2 tsp yeast
• 1 tbsp sugar

Let rest until foamy, about 5 minutes.  Meanwhile, put dough blade in food processor.  Add:

• 1/2 stick butter
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup whole spelt flour
• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup rolled oats
• 1/4 cup wheat germ
• 1/4 cup wheat bran
• 1/4 cup flax meal
• 1/4 cup honey
• 2 tsp salt

Process for 10 seconds to combine.  Add cold water to yeast mixture until foam just reaches the rim of the measuring cup, about 1 1/3 cup.

With food processor running on dough speed, slowly pour in the yeast mixture.  Keep processing until the dough all clumps together.  If it's too sticky, add more flour.  When dough starts to clean the sides of the bowl, process for 45 seconds to knead the dough.

Let rise, covered, for one hour.  Punch down and shape into a long loaf.  Let rise approximately 45 minutes longer.  Score the top of the loaf.  Bake at 350* for about 45 minutes.