…make bread.

Gather your supplies in advance (so as to not turn this into a whole day affair.)

Here’s what you’ll need from the store:

~1lb whole wheat bread flour

~1lb all purpose white flour

two yeast packets

salt

sugar or honey

little bit of butter

some olive oil

And for equipment:
-Do you have loaf pans? Don’t fret if you don’t; nearly all grocery stores have them for about $4 or $5. I recommend the medium size (8.5 x 4.5”) since most recipes will fill two; they look like this:

loaf pans and my friend Mr. Butter-Standard mixing bowl

-Wooden spoon

-Clean counter space (for kneading)

-Kitchen towel or tea towel

-basic (cheap) kitchen thermometer

-rack of some sort (I make my own out of canning bands, see below); other good substitutes include a wire, office paper bin, your hanging fruit basket turned upside-down, anything that will allow air to reach underneath your finished loaves while they’re cooling. Be creative; don’t just rush out and buy a bakers rack.

my makeshift cooling rackSince you’re busy, we’re going to stretch this process out. By preparing the dough the first night and baking on the second, you’re setting yourself up for success with two manageable tasks each night.

Go gather your supplies. Then read Parts II and III for the actual recipe and helpful hints as you attempt to follow it.