Bread for Friday

Today is all about bread.  I woke up at 5am and had bread on my mind.  Wonder why?  I have no earthly idea lol.  I made a couple of loaves of bread on Wednesday and ever since it seems to be my focus.  Yesterday I gave you a recipe for a pumpkin cheese bread today I decided to just do a traditional white bread.  I find it wonderful hot out of the oven with some luscious butter and honey, or agave or just butter lol.  I have been baking for more years than I can remember.  I have fond memories of being in my Grandma Martin's kitchen the sweet aromas of always something cooking and her taking the time to teach me all her little secrets.  Biscuits are something I remember that she could whip up in a matter of minutes without much effort and were melt in your mouth.  I didn't get that recipe but that was one I sure wish I would have.  Our mom could make those same biscuits and we were treated to them just about every Sunday at home.  Grandma Martin was a single mother during the depression (after our Grandpa was murdered) and she had to find a unique way of making money to keep her family fed.  She ran a boarding house and I can only imagine the food that was prepared for her "guests".   We have such great stories that she would share with us about the old days.  I got the honor of getting to go with my dad back to the old home place a couple of years before he passed away to see it with him.  I am here to tell you that when he said that they traveled uphill both directions to school he was not lying!!!  I have never encountered roads so steep in my whole entire life.  We drove my dads conversion van so we could have some comforts and Thank God we did!!!!  That pour van struggled to get up those inclines (both directions) if you are wondering how on earth it could be uphill both ways well let me tell you.  My dad was born in a place called Rosses Creek, KY in Hazard County.  It is located at the bottom of Latine Ridge (maybe spelt wrong not sure) to get to Latine Ridge you have to climb a huge mountain and the road is on the side of the mountain and so steep the van never left 1st gear the whole way.  Then you drive through the small and almost forgotten town on top (Latine Ridge) and then you descend into Rosses Creek so there you have it uphill both directions!!!!!! They went to school in a town on the other side of Latine Ridge and it didn't matter snow or no snow uphill they went lol.  Ok so back to Grandma Martin.  She raised 5 children (there were 6 but my Aunt Ogatha died when she was 5) 4 boys and a daughter.  My dad is the oldest of the group so he became the "man" of the house.   Life had to have been hard for all of them just getting to see where they lived made me realize that we have life pretty good compared to them.  One of our Cousins still owns the land that they were raised on and there still is no electricity to the house or running water or indoor plumbing and yes this is the 20th Century.  I saw many families that live in that area some have electric and some did not.  It makes you thank God for what we do have and to feel a little guilty that some still live that way.  Ok so I got side tracked yet again lol.  Grandma Martin was one of my favorite women of all times.  She taught me many things but her strength to withstand and preserver were outstanding.  She never had the poor me's and always had a cookie and a smile for us.  Sometimes I think less is more for building Character in young people and maybe it is best not to lavish them with all the latest and greatest gadgets that come out.  Anyhow Kentucky cooking is what we were raised on and is the bases of most of the things we cook and eat so heres the Traditional Bread recipe that I have used for years it is my own recipe so I don't have to worry about giving you the Authors name lol because it's me!!!!!

TRADITIONAL WHITE BREAD
In a stand alone mixer with bread hooks add:
2 Tbls. of dry yeast 
1 TBLS. salt
2 TBLS. sugar
2 TBLS. butter
2 Cups of very warm water
Mix adding 1 cup of bread flour at a time until you have 7 cups of flour or until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl.  Turn out onto a well floured counter and knead until dough is soft and not sticky.  Oil the bowl and turn the dough in the bowl to oil the outside of all sides.  Let rise until double in size.  Grease bread pans (usually 2) Punch dough down and turn out onto counter at this point I use butter on my hands to knead the dough it gives the bread a butter flavor and it keeps it from sticking to the counter.  Cut dough in half and place in bread pans.  Let rise until it's sticks out of the pans and then place in a 425* oven and bake for 30-40 minutes or until dark golden brown.  Remove from oven and place on cooling racks and brush with butter.  Enjoy

Enjoy the coolness of Fall look for one thing to lower your stress level:  a walk, a warm bath, baking some bread lol.  Remove one thing from your life that causes the stress, a bad relationship, a user of a friend, an activity that really isn't neccesary and takes too much time away from family (everyone doesn't have to have their lives dictated by sports or music) and most importantly make time to sit around the dinner table with your children and talk to them about their day to me that's the most important thing you can do to make memories of their time as young people is to be available to them.  It's not about the material items as much as it is about time spent on them for them.

TODAYS' TIP:  If you tend to "run late" try getting up 5 minutes earlier.  Does that seem doable?  Yes, you don't have to get up before the sun comes up like some of us do (not by choice lol my dog likes to) but it will allow you just enough extra time to take some of the stress of the day away. It will give you a jump to beat the morning traffic by 5 minutes, you won't be late maybe even a little early  hmmm and that alone takes stress away.  then maybe you will find that getting up 5 more minutes earlier allows you to grab some breakfast (breakfast=breaking fast), which in turn lowers stress hmmm.  Allowing that extra 5 can give you the time to open your dust covered Bible and feed your soul also it doesn't have to be a huge Bible study but just start your day with a few scriptures that goes a long way in starting a good habit and your children will want to mimic you and there you have it a good habit started instead of screaming and stress in the morning.

Joel 3 18-21 And it will come about in that day That the mountains will drip with sweet wine, And the hills will flow with milk, And all the brooks of Judah will flow with water: And a spring will go out from the house of the Lord. To water the valley of Shittam.  Egypt will become a waste, And Edom will become a desolate wilderness.  Because of the violence done to the sons of Judah.  In whose land they have shed innocent blood.  But Judah will be inhabited forever, and Jerusalem for all generations.  And I will avenge their blood which I have not avenged.  For the Lord dwells in Zion.