As a working mom I always try to find ways to be “present” at home during the times when I am not actually there. One way that I do this is through cooking. In truth, I don’t only cook for my family because I want them to know how much I love them, it’s also because…I think we’d all rather eat my cooking than my husband’s. Try as he might, he just can’t seem to grasp concepts like:

Don’t over salt the food
Raw meat is not good for you
Ketchup doesn’t go with everything
Onions taste better when they’re not burnt
…and many more. I applaud his efforts, but chose to no longer get sick from his concoctions a long time ago.

So, on the weekends, I come up with the grocery list for the week, I determine simple to prepare dinners (which are fool proof so my husband can put them together), and I make one meal to pop in the fridge or freezer for days when the kids are driving him crazy and he doesn’t have time to make anything.

When I have time, I also like to bake some fresh bread. I know, it all sounds like a lot to cram into the weekend, and you’re right but whenever I can I love giving my family healthy homemade food. In actuality, I did the fresh baked bread from scratch thing for about three weeks before my KitchenAid got unplugged and left by the wayside. Making bread takes a lot of work. You have to prepare the ingredients, mix the batter, which involves using yeast warmed to the right temperature, you have to let it rise, beat it down, shape it, let it rise again…I mean, my god!

However tiresome the process may be, I felt bummed that I let the bread making go. Then one day, a friend gave me an unexpected gift…the five-minute bread recipe. It’s a simple, fast and incredibly easy method of throwing together a few ingredients and winding up with two weeks worth of yummy homemade, preservative free, plastic bag free, inexpensive bread. There are a couple of books written by the people who created the recipe, which you can buy. They contain tons of different kinds of quick breads to make. But if you just want to see what it’s all about, check out the YouTube video I have posted below. One caveat…the bread isn’t actually fully made in 5 minutes. That’s just the amount of time it takes for you to mix it all up and let it do it’s thing.

Finished Loaf

For those of you who are ready to go, here’s a couple of quick trial and error tips I have learned along the way.

If you want lighter and fluffier bread, cut back on the amount of flour you use. More flour equals more dense.
Don’t put the baked bread in the fridge. I have found that it dries it out. You can store it in an old plastic bag from store bought bread or you can buy bread storage bags online.
Consume quickly so it doesn’t get stale. You probably will anyway because it is so good, and the loaves are small so they get used up every day or two. I think because this bread doesn’t have all the yucky preservatives that get shoved into foods these days it can get stale a little quicker.
The longer the remaining dough sits in your fridge (up to two weeks) the yeastier the taste. Some people like this…some people don’t. Just a heads up.
And if you’re wondering what makes baking homemade bread “green” here’s a few things to consider:
It saves a trip to the grocery store.
You get to avoid the weird preservatives they put in many breads.
One less plastic bag is being used each time you bake your own loaf.
Well, happy baking! Please come back and let me know how your bread turns out!