Dusted off the breadmaker

Been thinking about baking bread for ages, have been reading blogs such as down to earth along with many others, they are all so inspiring.

Usually I buy bread mixes but wanted to try it from scratch, so last night got into the pantry to look for ingredients, first one I found was an unopened pack of yeast that was dated best before 2005. Hmmm, bought some more today along with wholemeal flour. I found a recipe for wholemeal bread and baked a small loaf tonight, it turned out wonderful. Couldn't wait the whole 15 minutes standing time and cut myself a slice, so yummy. Making bread is going to become a daily tradition, so much nicer than the plastic stuff that we get at the shop. Now if only I can get my husband to eat homebaked bread, he says he can taste yeast in homebaked bread and prefers the tasteless plastic stuff.

Wholemeal Bread

All ingredients go into the the machine in order, it's important not to let the yeast get wet until the water has heated up, make a little well in the dry flour to put it in.

Cold tap water (for small loaf) 250 ml (for large loaf) 290 ml

wholemeal flour 315 g 420 g

Sugar 2 teaspoons 1 tablespoon

Salt 1 teaspoon 1.5 teaspoon

Milk powder 1 tablespoon 1.5 tablespoons

oil 1 tablespoon 1.5 tablespoons

dry yeast 1.5 teaspoon 2 teaspoon

Also had to work out a craft for tomorrow night, it's Holy Week and the craft had to have a cross theme. I was inspired by iconic jewelled crosses, but we don't have time to do something elaborate. I printed out cross shapes on firm paper for the girls to glue gold wrapping paper on and then cut out, these are glued onto a slightly larger cross in black card. Stickers or jewels are glued to the cross to complete, I'll let the girls do as little or as much as they want.