Better than Sliced Bread - 'Cause it's Homemade!

I love making homemade bread. I find it incredibly relaxing, and what's better than the smell of fresh bread wafting through the house? For the past year I've mostly just made regular ol' white bread, but recently I have tried whole wheat loaves, and 1/2 white 1/2 wheat loaves. I'm probably going to stick with the white/wheat loaves because the texture is amazing and they're a bit healthier than all-white.

You can find thousands of bread recipes online, I encourage you to experiment till you find one you love. Also, I do all my bread-making in my Kitchenaid mixer - it's fantastic! The dough hook attachment is one of the greatest inventions ever. Note that the "speeds" in this recipe refer to the settings on the Kitchenaid.

Lovely White/Wheat Bread

Ingredients:
½ cup low-fat milk
3 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons salt
3 tablespoons butter or margarine
2 packages active dry yeast
1 ½ cups warm water (105 F to 115 F)
2-3 cups all-purpose flour
2-3 cups wheat flour

Directions:

• Place milk, sugar, salt, and butter in small saucepan. Heat over low heat until butter melts and sugar dissolves. Cool to lukewarm.

• Dissolve yeast in warm water in warmed mixer bowl. Add lukewarm milk mixture and 4 ½ cups flour. Attach bowl and dough hook to mixer. Turn to Speed 2 and mix about 1 minute.

• Continuing on Speed 2, add remaining flour, ½ cup at a time, and mix about 2 minutes, or until dough clings to hook and cleans sides of bowl. Knead on Speed 2 about 2 minutes longer, or until dough is smooth and elastic. Dough will be slightly stick to the touch.

• Place dough in greased bowl, turning to grease top. Cover. Let rise in warm place, free from draft, about 1 hour, or until doubled in bulk.

• Punch dough down and divide in half. Shape each half into a loaf, and place in greased 8 ½ x 4 ½ x 2 ½-inch baking pans. Cover. Let rise in warm place, free from draft, about 1 hour, or until doubled in bulk.

• Bake at 400 F for 30 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from pans immediately and cool on wire racks.