I made bread.

Now, I make bread frequently. I enjoy making bread. I always hope that I can make the bread to feed my ravenous family, rather than spend $8-10 a week on storebought bread. My kids like the homemade bread okay, but when it comes time for morning toast or for sandwiches, they ask for "normal" bread.

Hmpf.

I do understand them. The bread I make is not like "normal" bread. It's not as soft. It's not as big. It makes tough toast. Undaunted, I continue to attempt to make "normal" bread.

Jeni from the Well-Trained Mind board posted this recipe to the list:

4 cups warm water (I used 3 cups water, 1 cup milk)
2 TBSP Yeast
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup oil
1 1/2 TBSP salt
4 cups whole wheat flour
4-8 cups unbleached white flour

Dissolve yeast in warm water. Add honey, oil, and salt. Let sit until foamy (about 15-20 minutes). Add wheat flour then white flour (as many cups as it takes to reach kneading consistency). Knead until smooth and elastic. Cover and place in a warm area to rise. Let rise until doubled (about and hour). Punch down and let rise again. Punch down, separate into four loaves and place in loaf pans. Cover and let rise until doubled once again. Bake at 350 degrees for about 30-35 minutes. Butter top and sides while warm.

I made this yesterday, and it's perfect. This is a pretty basic recipe, the kind I thought I had tried many times before, but this time it worked! The bread is soft. It feels like storebought bread. It looks beautiful, golden and rounded. My family ate nearly an entire loaf last night.

Mmmmmmmmm.