At Home

The word “bread” is used 204 times in the scriptures. For the purposes of this article, I’m referring to two of those references.

First, bread (grain) is cited in section 89 of the Doctrine and Covenants, verse 14, as the ” staff of life .” Every culture in the world, as far as I can determine, has its own type of life-sustaining bread, whether it be made of wheat, rice, corn, or soy flour, or some other grain. .

Second, in the context of doing good to others, we read in Ecclesiastes that we should ” Cast thy bread upon the waters : for thou shalt find it after many days.” Eccl. 11:1 (Emphasis added) Some people have added a light touch to casting our bread by saying the bread might come back as cake or maybe it will come back buttered. Recently I heard about an even better “return” on our “bread investment.” Let me tell you a story:

A former neighbor of some twenty-five years ago phoned me the other day. She reminded me of coming to my house to learn how to make bread. We worked together, mixing and kneading the dough by machine and forming the loaves, and then with eager anticipation of baking bread for her family she returned home with the recipe and notations of helpful hints.

She has “leaned on the staff of life” ever since, she says, by baking bread almost every week. She keeps several loaves for her family and gives the others to friends and neighbors. She spoke of the joy this has brought her over the years. And now in her eighties, the bishop has given her a new calling in the ward that is bringing her very special joy: she is providing the bread for the sacrament.

With the current emphasis on making healthy choices in our food selections, and with the cost of living going up, many of us are considering ways to prepare nutritious and economical meals for our family. Baking our own bread can be an answer. Besides, it is certainly a family pleaser.

And it smells so good in the oven. A young boy told his mother he planned on being a millionaire when he grew up. She asked him how he intended to accomplish it. He grinned and replied, “I’m going to invent a perfume that smells like homemade bread baking!”

The good news is that with proper equipment and an efficient system, turning out a batch of bread can take less than fifteen minutes of actual working time. And more good news, it doesn’t have to always be the mother who does it. Dad and the children can bake delicious bread, too.

Now, if you’re one of these cooks who bakes beautiful bread on a regular basis, good for you! Or, if you have made wonderful bread in the past but have fallen out of the habit, maybe this would be a good time to bake again. If you’ve never tried, however, or have tried and failed, take heart and have hope.

I know about failure and heart and hope. Here is my story.

My mother was a bread maker. I loved coming home from school to oven-fresh bread and jam, and I wanted my children to have the same pleasure someday. The only catch was my mother didn’t follow a recipe; she just tossed so many handfuls of flour and whatever else into the mixing bowl and kneaded by hand until it “felt” right.

So, as a new bride, I set about making bread. The only catch was I didn’t have a recipe either. I’ll never forget opening the oven, with my husband looking over my shoulder eagerly anticipating a slice of wonderful homemade bread, to find, much to our horror, that the pans were inside the loaves. Oooops! The loaves should have been inside the pans. It must have been those handfuls of flour.

I was mortified to tears. That could have been the beginning and the end of homemade bread at our house had Hank said, “Well, that was a stupid thing to do. I guess you’re just not good at making bread.” But he saved the day and his chances for homemade bread by saying, “That’s okay, honey, try again.” And I did, determined to learn how to make the best bread possible.

Following is a basic whole wheat bread recipe. With a little practice anyone can make the best bread possible. There is healthy, economical sustenance to be found by leaning on the staff of life and joy can be ours as we cast our bread upon the waters.

Whole Wheat Bread

(It’s quick and easy and has a wonderful flavor)

Blend and mix on medium speed for two minutes:

Add and blend:

Add slowly while mixing until dough pulls away from sides of bowl:

Knead on speed #1- 2 (slow or medium) for 8 minutes

Shape into 5 loaf pans (greased if they’re not “non stick” pans) and let rise, covered with plastic wrap, until doubled in size.

Place in cold oven, turn temperature to 350′ and bake 30-40 minutes. Turn out of pans and allow to cool on a wire rack. (Longer baking time increases thickness of crust.)

*Dough Enhancer increases dough strength and tolerance, and extends shelf life.

** Vital Wheat Gluten enhances natural flavor, expands freshness, and improves yield.

For best results in shape and texture, bake bread in pans that measure 3 ” to 4″ in width. If pans are too broad, the bread fails to form a crown and is flat on top. (Broader pans are best reserved for baking meat and ham loaves.)

Editor’s Note: Daryl Hoole has a new CD available called, “Little Things Can Make a Big Difference,” which is available by clicking here.

In what has come to be known as Daryl’s signature talk, this message has been enthusiastically received by women of all ages and circumstances at BYU Education Week, Time Out for Women and numerous other groups. It’s a delightful blend of practical, motivational, and inspirational tips that offer both a quick fix and lasting results to all homemakers seeking personal fulfillment as well as success and happiness in their homes. With snappy humor and timeless wisdom, Daryl describes some little things that can make a big difference in your life.