Bread and Jam

As I ate a slice of molasses wheat bread smothered with butter and choke cherry jam, I remembered a song that includes the words, "bread and jam." Do you remember what it is? If you guessed, "Do, Re, Mi" from The Sound of Music you're right! Almost anything reminds me of a song, and this one is a good one. I don't think anyone could pass up a warm slice of bread with jam on it. Can you?

This was part of my lunch today. It was delicious! I almost ate another slice but I want to be able to enjoy more of this bread when I'm really craving it again.

Remember that Emile Henry loaf pan that my husband bought me from Williams-Sonoma? I used it for the first time yesterday. I wanted to do an experiment between this pan and my regular one to see what the differences were. The new stone pan baked more evenly and higher than the other one. Having used stoneware before, I didn't think to grease it. It wasn't too hard to get out, but next time, I will grease it with cooking spray.

I've tried a few different bread recipes, but both Q and I love this one for molasses wheat bread. I found it on Bethany's blog, "Happy to be called Mommy."

Molasses Wheat Bread

2 cups warm water

1/3 cup honey (or molasses)

1 tablespoon yeast

1/3 cup olive oil

2 teaspoons salt

1 cup oatmeal

5 to 7 cups of white wheat flour 

*I use half white and half wheat, and a good consistency is right about 5 1/2 cups for me.

Add the yeast and warm water to the bowl and let it sit for a few minutes. Add the rest of the ingredients, and mix it all up with a mixer. Add enough flour so that it is slightly sticky to the touch. If you have a dough hook, let that do most of the kneading for you. Then, take it out and knead for a few more minutes (total kneading time should be 10 minutes). Let rise for an hour then punch down with your fist. Let rise for another hour and punch down again. Cut dough in half, then use a rolling pin to flatten both pieces. One at a time, roll the dough tightly towards you. Then, pinch to seal the end to the roll. Pull down the sides to fit into the greased pan. Cover both pans with a towel and let rise for 30 minutes to an hour (or until it has popped over above the edge of the pan). Bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees.