Homemade Bread

Many of you know that, for several years now, I have had the pleasure of making homemade bread using fresh ground grain.  I can't tell you what a difference it is to have fresh baked bread every day!  Just the flavor difference alone is enough to make it worthwhile, but then, when you consider the nutritional value difference - there is truly no comparison!  Well, that being said, I am always playing with new recipes and have my eyes and ears open for anything yummy that I can get my hands on.  So, when my dear friend, Melissa, called one day to tell me about a new recipe she had found, I knew that I had to give it a try!  Needless to say, it is amazing and I have made it 3 times in one week!  It is so good, that I had to share it with you all, too!  First, a picture to whet your appetite:

Isn't it beautiful??!!  So, here's the recipe:

4-4 1/2 c. flour                            3 Tbsp. sugar
4 1/2 tsp. yeast                            2 tsp. dried dill weed
2 tsp. basil                                     1  1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 tsp. garlic powder               1 egg
3/4 tsp. rosemary, crushed       3/4 c. milk
1/2 c. water                                  1/4 c. butter, cubed
1 tbsp. butter, melted

(This is how I made it using a bread machine to mix.  You can also mix the dough by hand, if you like.)
Place the milk, water and cubed butter in the microwave until the butter melts, to about 120*.  (Don't allow to get too hot or it will kill your yeast!) Pour this into the bread pan.  Add all of the seasonings next, then add about 4 c. of the flour.  Make a small well in the top of your flour and place the yeast in the well.  Knead in the bread machine for 10 minutes.  I keep an eye on it and see if I need to add more flour, so that it forms a nice ball and is not sticky.  When done mixing, let rest for 10 minutes.  (If you are not doing this in a machine, make sure it rests in a warm place.)  After 10 minutes, divide the dough into 1/3's , shape each section into a rope and then braid on a greased baking sheet.  Pinch the ends and tuck under.  Cover and let rise until double, about 25 minutes.  This gets huge!!!  And so pretty!  Bake at 350* for 20-25 minutes until golden and brush the top with the melted butter.  We have eaten this with butter on it and we have also done this:

Dipped in olive oil that has a little pepper in it (like Macaroni Grill!).  Mmmmm, mmmmm... this bread just has an amazing flavor.  I have been out of rosemary, so I still haven't tried it with that.  The last time I made it, I had run out of dill, so I used some thyme and it was still good.  I have also been adding extra garlic powder and minced garlic as well, just because we like it like that - you can modify it with herbs and spices as you desire.  Also, it made me think of pizza crust, in a way, so this week, we will be using the same recipe to make homemade pizza.  I'll let you know how it turns out!  Let me know if you try it and ENJOY!