Amish Bread

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2 1/2 cups warm water
4 T. sugar
1 T. Salt
2 T. super soft or melted butter

Combine in a bowl. Set aside.

In your 5 quart kitchen aide mixing bowl, combine 2 cups of “better for bread” flour and 2 packets of rapid rise yeast or 4 1/2 tsp. yeast. (I used regular yeast and it worked just fine.) Add the warm water mixture. (Make sure the water isn't too hot when you pour it in. Yeast and hot water are not friends!)

Put the dough hook on your kitchen aide mixer and start mixing, gradually adding more and more flour until the dough on the hook starts to clean the edges of the bowl (about 4 more cups). Let the machine knead the dough for a few minutes (no more than 5).

Leave the dough in the bowl without removing from the mixer and let rise 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, turn on mixer for a few seconds to punch down the dough. Let rise for another 45 minutes, punching two more times. Then punch down once more before removing bowl from mixer.

Divide dough in half (this makes two loaves). Roll out into rectangle and then roll up to form a crescent shape on a cookie sheet (lined with parchment paper). Slash the top four times. Repeat with second loaf. (Or just put into two loaf pans which have been sprayed with Pam.)

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(This is what it looks like before it rises.)

With a pastry brush, paint the two loaves with this mixture: 1 egg yolk and 1 T milk.

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(Give it a nice brush with the egg wash. You don't have to, but it will make it look purdy if you do!)
Let rise another 30 minutes.

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(I know what you're wondering...what's that weird looking bubble on the loaf on the left? You know what that is? It's a weird looking bubble. Who cares, it still tastes amazing, and if it looks too perfect people will think you bought it at the store. If someone in your family complains about the weird looking bubble, bop them on the head with your rolling pin, but not so hard that they can't do the dishes after dinner.)

Bake at 375 for 25 minutes. Cool in pans for 10 minutes then remove and enjoy!

From whence it came: Quite a few years ago a sweet girl named Margaret Lilinquist gave me this recipe. She was a young mom and she was a great bread maker. She moved away, but I think of her every time I make this yum-e bread!

Why it's blogable: It's a really easy bread recipe, it has very basic ingredients, it will save you a fortune if you make it instead of buying bread, and it's so very tasty! How simple can a bread recipe be? You don't have to dissolve the yeast and the mixer does all the work. Your family will think you slaved all day, and you should let them! Don't tell them it was easy. Milk it for all it's worth!

If you want to: You can add half whole wheat flour and half bread flour to up the fiber and nutritional value. It's really good with the whole wheat flour, and it's great with just white bread flour, too. You can't go wrong either way. The teen daughter who doesn't normally like wheat flour loves this bread! I only use 5 1/2 cups of flour total instead of the six it calls for, but you can do whatever floats your boat. I always bake it in bread pans, it's just easier than rolling it out.

Hope you enjoy stirring it up!

Whole Wheat Pancakes

4 eggs, separated
2 c. buttermilk
1 1/2 c. whole-wheat flour
2 T. honey
2 t. baking powder
1 t. soda
1 t. salt
2 T. oil

Beat egg whites until stiff. Beat egg yolks with buttermilk. Add all other ingredients (except egg whites) and beat until smooth. Gently fold in beaten egg whites. Fry on hot griddle that has been sprayed with Pam or brushed with butter. Makes 18 pancakes.

From whence it came: This recipe was published in a church cookbook by another wonderful sister-in-law of mine, Lori Fronk. Lori is a mom of four grown up and very smart boys and a great cook, and this recipe of hers is a home run. I grew up without any sisters, just two pesky brothers, and it's been a great blessing in my life to have sisters through marriage. Lori is The Spy Who Loves Me's sister and a saint for putting up with him when they were kids. I love Lori, and you will love her pancakes!

Why it's blogable: This recipe is much healthier than the buttermilk pancake recipe I posted a while back, and just as yum-e. My teen girl normally won't touch anything labeled "whole wheat", but she loves these pancakes. If you're a Weight Watcher, these pancakes are just two points each. I've done the math, I promise it's true. You might as well know right here and now that I am a Weight Watcher who has fallen off the wagon, more than once. If I went to some sort of 12 step WW program I'd have to stand up and say something like this..."My name is Pam and it's been three minutes since I've had my last cookie." And even that might not be true, it more likely would have only been two minutes.

Don't be shy: I know this recipe requires you to separate eggs and then beat those egg whites until stiff, but don't let that simple step stop you from blessing your life with these great pannies. (That's what us Andersons like to call them.) Check out this video on how to separate eggs if you don't already know how. It's kinda fun. Try it! It's not difficult to beat egg whites. Just put them in a glass bowl and crank up your hand mixer to the highest speed. Let your kids do it. My teen boy loves to help make these babies. In no time at all you will have stiff peaks. You can do it! I know you can! Be gentle when you fold them into the other ingredients. Just mix them in by hand, slowly, and don't beat all the air out of them.

I hope you enjoy stirring it up!