Is your daddy a baker?

No, but my grandpa was.

That's juC's favorite pickup line on me.  And it's true, my grandfather was a baker.  And although I would never consider myself even close to being a baker, I do have a love for baking.  Because who doesn't love to eat fresh baked goods?!  Ok, it's more than just that.  I really do enjoy baking.  And it can be very therapeutic.

Up until last year, I'd never ventured into bread baking.  But then I came across a recipe for hot bread that looked so simple, I figured even I could do it.  If there's anything about me you should know, it's that I only do things that are simple and doable, so if I could do it, you could do it.

I was nervous, but I tried it, and it was so tasty.  Fresh out of the oven with some honey on it...oh my word, people!  And the fact that the process is easy and not time consuming is a huge bonus.

Make dough and let it rest for a few.

 Let it rise for an hour, or until it reaches the top of the pan,

 Bake 20 minutes to perfection.

 I kid you not, this picture was taken 10 minutes after the bread was taken out of the oven.

 Because, I kid you not, putting some good honey on it is oh so heavenly.

Thank goodness I have this oven because on this particular day I made 3 full loaves and 4 mini loaves and it took no time at all.

Here is the story behind the recipe shared on the blog post I found and the recipe:

Kimmons, who grew up in West Virginia, learned to make bread by watching her grandmother and neighbor.

"Making homemade bread is more about experience than technique", Kimmons said.

“The people who taught me how to bake bread didn’t check the temperature of the water with a thermometer,” she said. If the water is warm on the wrist, it’s the right temperature for proofing the yeast, and that’s something you don’t learn from a book.

“They just knew what bread felt like,” Kimmons said.

“I just love to bake bread. It relaxes me. It reminds me of growing up, and the smell of hot bread smells like home, a cozy home,” she said.

Kimmons’ recipe is simply called “hot bread” and it has only six ingredients and a few lines of instructions.


Hot Bread
Recipe from the Providence Journal – Carla Kimmons.
2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour (plus extra for kneading)
1 cup warm water
1 package dry yeast
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons melted margarine
1 teaspoon salt

Oven to 375. Grease a loaf pan. 

Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl and mix well. (juC about freaked out when he was watching me make it and I didn't let the yeast rise in water first, but that's not necessary for this!)

Turn the mixture out onto a floured surface. It will be sticky. Knead extra flour into the dough until it is no longer sticky. Form into a ball and let rest 10 minutes. Place the dough in the pan. Let sit in a warm place for 1 hour, or until it rises to the top of the pan. Bake for 20 minutes, or until the top is nicely browned.

Try it people.