As anyone who knows me is already aware, I try to eat as naturally as possible. That’s not to say we eat “weird” food, but I do try to get the organic or natural versions of “regular” food. Trader Joes has their own versions of Rice Krispies, Cheerios and Frosted Flakes that don’t have nasty artificial stuff in them and taste better and are cheaper than the originals. I don’t eat tofu dogs but I do eat organic, uncured hot dogs. (Love Applegate!) That sort of thing. It takes some creativity and a little extra grocery shopping, but not as much as you would think. I cook things soup and chili in bulk and freeze it in small portions to substitute for canned soups. I boil the carcasses of everything that I make. The problem is that sometimes there are products you just can’t replace. Sandwich bread is one of those. Sure you can buy expensive gourmet bread, but the grocery store bakery specialty breads are usually italian or other crusty breads. I like basic toast or PBJ white bread. The bread aisle is full of artificial junk. To find products without certain ingredients (HFCS, for one) you have to get the whole grain, cardboard tasting, dense, dry and hard as a rock “natural” breads. Trust me, I’ve tried them all.
So, I made my own, and it was so amazing that I’ve made 3 more loaves. I even tried using KAF White Whole Wheat flour (well, half and half with AP flour) but I just don’t like the taste of the whole wheat flour. I do like the whole grain bread from Panera though, so I need to keep experimenting and not give up on whole grains. For now, I’m just happy to have something with real ingredients. I love this recipe and I will probably make a loaf a week for a while. It makes great toast and sandwiches. Just make sure you start early enough so that you aren’t baking the bread at 10:00 at night like I did last time!
Recipe is HERE from King Arthur Flour. I highly recommend weighing the ingredients. I’ll post any variations when I try them!
