Man does not live by bread alone...he also needs butter!

I adore making bread the old-fashioned way.  I did not always feel that way, of course.  I'm Chinese; I didn't grow up watching mom bake bread in the kitchen.  In fact, I didn't grow up watching anyone bake bread in the kitchen.  But I love the evil carb.  I might as well have been born an eastern European with black hair and brown eyes.  

I have an excellent bread machine, but I have not used it for years.  "It takes away the realness of bread making," I lament to my husband.  The elbow grease is what makes bread tastes...real. Eric used to be the bread maker of the household, but I claimed it as my birthright when I discovered the feel of bread dough in my hands.  I love kneading bread dough.  Perhaps because my skin is allergic to clay and play-doh, I have always wanted to shape doughy things with my hands.  In fact, I like it kneading dough so much that I don't even bother with the KitchenAid anymore.  It's an all-afternoon affair.  Like a hermit crab, I gladly clear my social calendar in exchange for solitude.  I guess it's a little bit like having Happy Hour by yourself...?  OK, that sounds strange.   

I start with some yeast and a little honey.  The nuttiness of the loaves comes from millet, flax seeds, sesame seeds, and rolled oat.  Salt makes everything tastes better, as does butter.  So I add a little bit of each.  Twelve cups of whole wheat, all purpose white, and rye flour later...

I stand on Eric's Seiza bench
which elevates me couple more inches above the counter

...and I start my upper arm workout

 

I spray some bench flour and gather the dough like a pro - actually I've never watched a professional baker kneading bread dough.  I imagine it must look exactly like what I've been doing...  

Then I patiently wait for nature to work its magic.  And it always yields four loaves. 

My good friend Andy has been known to eat a loaf of this deliciousness in one day. Others are equally happy to sink their teeth into a slice of this nutritious jewel.  Slather in butter or jam, it is as good as it gets. 

As I make four loaves of this beauty - some to share, some to keep - I always remember the origin of the recipe with gratefulness:  a prized and proprietary recipe very generously shared with me by an acquaintance Dana.  The only way I can share this with you is through pictures. Please try not to slater butter all over your screen.  


Sorry, fresh bread aroma not included.  

It looks a little bit Martha Stewart

Poppy seeds, oat, and sesame seeds

Please refrain from slathering butter on your screen