Reviving the lost art of self-reliance, one small step at a time

Home Baked Goodness

Truly, is there anything better than a fresh loaf of homemade bread? Whether it’s a simple batch of fluffy dinner rolls or a crusty sourdough boule, freshly baked bread is hard to beat.

If you’ve never made homemade bread, you might think it’s a difficult process. Not so. Yeast breads often have a surprisingly short list of ingredients and take very little hands-on effort — especially if you have a stand mixer equipped with a dough hook to help make quick work of kneading. (You don’t need one, though — people have been making bread by hand for hundreds of years!)

two loaves of crusty bread side by side, one with seeds

The “time consuming” part of making homemade bread is the waiting. While it may take only minutes to mix up the dough, it needs to sit in a warm place so the yeast can begin to work, creating the bubbles that make the bread rise. After that? You’ll form the loaves, and let them rise again before popping them in the oven to bake.

But trust me when I say that the aroma that comes from baking that bread, followed by the flavor of a warm slice of homemade bread slathered with butter will definitely take you to your happy place!

If the idea of making yeast breads seems daunting, start with some simple quick bread recipes. For instance, homemade buttermilk biscuits are a snap to make, and can hit the table in half an hour or so, from start to finish. (Biscuits are my secret weapon to make a boring meal seem fabulous.)