Warm Soup for the Next Storm

It's March and another snow storm is on the way.  So, we're handling it like good Minnesotans should, with Wild Rice Soup and homemade bread courtesy of my friend Sarah's Kid Friendly Home blog.

I started the soup while the kids napped (for an exceptionally long time today - we're all fighting colds).  And we made the bread dough together this afternoon.  It's fun to have the opportunity to cook and bake with them!  I've adapted the bread recipe a bit as I hate getting our food processor out to made dough and thus knead by hand.  I also only have one bread pan (Sarah's recipe is linked in the soup recipe and is enough for 2 loaves).  Here's how I make Sarah's bread:

Ingredients:
1 ½ Cups Hot Water
1 ½ TB instant Yeast
3 Cups Whole Wheat Flour
½ TB Kosher Salt
½ - 1 TB Wheat Gluten (optional)
1 - 2 TB Flax Seed Meal (optional)
1 - 2 TB Wheat Germ (optional)
3 TB Oil
3 TB Honey
Directions:
1.  Add Yeast to ¼ cup Hot water.  Set aside.
2.  Mix flour, salt, wheat gluten, flax, and wheat germ in mixing bowl.
3.  Add 1¼ cups hot water, oil and honey to dry mixture (alternate oil and honey in your tablespoon to prevent honey from sticking)
4.  Knead for a couple minutes until dough is smooth.
5.  Stir yeast/water mix.  Add to dough.
6.  Continue to knead for a few minutes, until dough is earlobe consistency.  This bread feels very “wet” and sticky.  I always think I should add more flour.  You can but you do not have to!
7.  Make loaf by tucking sides under to make a rounded top and place in a greased pan.
8.  Place loaf in COLD oven and let rise until dough reaches the height of the pan (20 minutes, longer on a cold day)
9.  Without removing loaf, turn oven to 350* and bake 30-35 minutes from the time you turn oven on.
10.  Cool for 5-10 minutes in pan and then place on cooling rack and brush butter over all sides.