Finding the perfect Homemade Bread Recipe...

I have tried, and tried, semi-succeeded, partially succeeded, failed a little, and even epically failed at my bread making adventures.  What I have found is that one single recipe may or may not be the answer.  One type of flour may not be all that is required, two in equal or off-setting amounts may be better, using a bread maker, a mixer or totally by hand may or may not be what is needed.  The weather outside can and will determine the success of the rising, and more often than not the temperature in your kitchen will most definitely determine the overall height of each single loaf.

I have tried recipes from the back of different flour bags, I have tried different recipes from so many different cookbooks, and recipes from friends, and friends of friends.  I have tried myself to tweak so many of them with a "little more of this and a little less of that" with sometimes bits of success but mostly this is met with failure, as when baking, the rule of thumb is suppose to be that, you need to follow a baking recipe to the tee for a reason!

However, after years of flailing and floundering between this recipe and that one, I have come across the perfect compromise.  The recipe is actually one that I have pieced together from two.  One of them happens to be an "ole fave" of our little family, that has worked for us for a while now, and a newer one that I began trying because of the time that the other one was taking when our bread maker decided to die a not so quiet death.  Actually when we used it for the last time, it was practically screeching and squealing and thumping across the counter.  So, it did us well for a while. 

But, in the many different tries of finding the perfect bread recipe, there are a a few tips I have found that each successful recipe should have. 

• Newer Yeast, make sure it proofs.  I buy yeast in bulk and keep it in the freezer.
• New Eggs, we get Farm Fresh Ones, but the Newer the Better.
• Fresher Flour, believe it or not, flour does go stale.
• Butter, margarine will work too.

I know that not all recipes call for any or all of these items, but I have found that when each of these items work together in a single recipe, the bread is successful.

Later today, I will be making a fresh batch of bread, and hopefully I will remember to take pictures of the process to share...

Happy Baking!