I made Bread - FROM SCRATCH!!

All righty then. After yesterday's entry, both boys awoke with a flourish of phlegm. Nasty coughing put a quick end to preschool plans, so we set ourselves up for another day in the house.

But, I kept my word and I shaved and showered before Neomom headed off to work. And I will admit it felt good. I even got to test out the nose hair trimmer on my new beard and moustache trimmer. Wooohooo! Nothing like a well-shorn nose.

By 9 a.m., I had the boys fed, the kitchen cleaned and a load in the laundry. Own the job, own the job.

So . . . what now? I've always wanted to try out a bread recipe I got from another stay-at-home dad I met on the dadstayshome.com web site. Other dads on the site have tried out the recipe and many swear by it. Last week I bought all the ingredients and yesterday, I figured, what the heck! We're stuck inside all day, might as well make the house smell nice.

(You can find the original recipe on my buddy's blog site right here.)

With Sonwun and Sontoo deeply engrossed in Blue's Clues, I knew the time was right. I pulled out the recipe and started my new career as a baker.

Following instructions, I grabbed a big honkin' bowl (that's actually exactly what the recipe said) and I added three cups whole wheat flour, three cups all purpose flour, quarter cup of oil, two tablespoons brown sugar, two-thirds tablespoon salt and one and a quarter tablespoons of yeast. And then I mixed it all up.

I then added two cups of warm (not hot) water and began kneading. I tried mixing it with a wooden spoon at first. Dumb idea. So I set the spoon aside and dug in with both hands.

And it was about at this time, with my hands covered in a sticky not-yet-dough concoction, that Sonwun called from the upstairs bathroom, "Daddy, I'm done pooping."

This is my cue to go and assist with the "paperwork," portion of the event.

**SIGH**

And so I washed my hands, headed upstairs, took care of business, washed my hands, washed my hands, washed my hands and returned to kneading. The recipe called for 5 minutes of merciless kneading. (I also had to add about a quarter cup more warm water - the amount of water is to be determined by the consistency of the dough. I am a rookie, so I just guessed.) I did my best to show no mercy and then, as instructed, I plopped the dough on the counter, cleaned the big honkin' bowl, dried it, sprayed it down with cooking spray and then replopped the dough into said bowl. I covered it with a dish towel with the understanding that, in three hours, it would double in size.

Must resist the urge to peak. Must resist the urge to peak.

Did not peak. Dough did the rising thing. As instructed, I punched it down and divided it between my two smaller bread pans. Is it pans? Well, the loaf-shaped metal things, whatever they are. Oh, and don't forget to spray down the pans, or grease them, whatever works for you, before plopping the bread in.

Then I left it alone again for an hour before firing it in the preheated, 375-degree oven for half an hour.

And oh . . . the smell. Even if it didn't work, the smell made all the effort thus far worthwhile. YUM!

But it did work. It was proudly served with my meatloaf (will post that recipe another time), potatoes, corn and peas. Great supper. I can't wait to try the bread toasted this morning at breakfast. It is delicious, if I do say so myself.

Anyway, Day 2 of beating the blahs begins. A challenge, once again, as Sontoo had me up at 2 a.m. with a nose full of snot and an attitude a mile wide. But at least he went back to sleep, as did I.

Happy Wednesday!

And, as promised, the picture below is of my latest achievement. Home-made bread! Okay, the pic is nothing to get excited about. I was in a hurry and it was all about content, less about composition.