Homemade Bread

Since the birth of our third child, I've had to modify my diet significantly.  Not for me, but for our little guy.  I've had to cut out dairy, eggs, oatmeal, chocolate, whole wheat and peanuts.  I'm not gonna lie, it's been a rough go.  Thankfully, there are all kinds of options available now both in recipe substitutions and ready-made products at the store.  One I'm most grateful for is Veganase (vegan mayo).  It has been WONDERFUL having that as an option and it tastes exactly the same as regular mayo! Well, because of these changes, I've had to start baking my own bread.  Who knew most breads have both milk and eggs in them!  I know!

Now that I've adjusted to life without so many of my favorite foods, I'm ready to share some of my newly found favorite recipes.  First up...BREAD!  I'm a carb addict and bread is a BIG weakness of mine.  I've even got a loaf rising as I type now!  This bread is DELICIOUSLY moist, holds up great for sandwiches (once cooled completely that is!)and is egg and dairy-free (Vegan)!  Besides, who doesn't LOVE the aroma of freshly baked bread permeating the whole house!!

{basic white bread}
  makes one 1 1/2 lb. loaf

1 c. warm water (110 degrees)
1 1/2 tsp. salt
3 Tbsp. sugar
3 Tbsp. canola oil
3 c. flour  (mix it up and use 1/2 white and 1/2 wheat if you'd like)
2 1/4 tsp. (or one packet) yeast. (SAF instant is my all-time favorite!)

I use my bread machine to make the dough, so the directions are for a bread machine, BUT you can use a mixer just as easily.  I also prefer the traditional shape loaf instead of the bread machine shaped loaf.

Add ingredients in order listed. Turn bread machine on to dough setting. Get your loaf pan ready by spraying it with some non-stick spray.  Once your machine is done with the dough cycle and it beeps, pull out the dough. roll it between your hands just enough to get it long enough to fit into your loaf pan evenly.  Place into loaf pan. Cover with sprayed plastic wrap and place in a warm location to rise. Allow dough to rise to where you want it (I like it about an inch above the edge of the loaf pan). Remove plastic wrap and bake 350 degrees for 15 min. Cover bread with foil to prevent it from getting too brown and crusty on top and bake for an additional 5 minutes.

When it's done and out of the oven, lightly spread canola oil on top of your bread to keep it nice and soft. Allow to cool for 5-10 min., then remove from pan to finish cooling....if you're like me you'll have to start another loaf at this point so you can eat one now and have one for sammies (sandwiches) later!  Enjoy!!!