Baking bread at home offers numerous benefits, enriching both your culinary skills and lifestyle. It allows for complete control over ingredients, ensuring the loaf meets your exact dietary and cultural requirements. The process itself is therapeutic, fostering mindfulness and creativity. Freshly baked bread brings incomparable flavor and aroma, enhancing meals and creating a warm, welcoming atmosphere. Additionally, baking at home can be a fun, educational activity for all ages, encouraging teamwork and learning about the science of baking.

This recipe comes from a Washington Wheat Foundation trusted contributor, A Farmish Kind of Life in Minnesota. Here’s their version of the basic loaf:

Ingredients:

1 pkg yeast (or 2 1/4 tsp bulk yeast)
1 1/2 cups lukewarm water
1 Tbsp sugar
2 tsp salt
3-4 cups flour

Instructions:

Dissolve the yeast in the water.

Stir sugar, salt, and half of the flour into the yeast mixture.

Knead, adding more flour until the dough won’t take anymore.

Place the dough in a greased bowl and let rise in a warm place 1 hour.

After it has risen, punch it down. Then separate the dough into two hunks.

Shape each hunk of dough into a round loaf and place them on greased jelly roll pan.

Mix one egg with a little bit of water to make an egg wash. Brush that over the bread — that’s what makes it shiny!

After the egg wash (or after skipping it!) go ahead and bake those yummy crusty loaves at 400 for 40 minutes.