Bread

Last night, I made my first attempt at homemade loaf of bread. I DID IT. And, it was delicious. 
Here is the recipe and website I found it on.

Basic Bread Recipe

By: erin, http://naturallyella.com/2011/03/21/a-few-words-and-video-about-bread/

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups warm water

2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast

1/4 cup honey

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

2 tablespoons olive oil

3-3 1/2 cups flour 

Directions

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer combine the water, yeast, and honey.  Stir  once or twice and let sit until yeast becomes active (5ish minutes.)

2. Stir in oil, salt, and 2 cups of flour.  Start stirring/kneading bread with the dough hook.

3. Add 1/4 cup of remaining flour and continue to slowly add flour (1-2 tablespoons at a time) until dough pulls away from the side of the bowl.  Let mixer run for 8-10 minutes.  This will give you time to adjust flour and let the dough knead.  Remember- you can always add flour but you can't always take it away.  The dough should be soft and slightly sticky.  Cover with a damp towel and set aside to rise for 1- 1 1/2 hours.

4. Once the first rise is over, knead a couple of times into the form of a log.  Place in an oiled bread pan, cover again and set aside for about 1 hour.  With 30 minutes left, pre-heat your oven to 425˚.

5. Once the loaf has risen the second time, brush with oil and place in oven.  (if you have a bottle of water, mist the bottom of your oven a couple of times to get some steam going.)  Shut the oven door and let bake for 10 minutes.  After 10 minutes, reduce the oven temperature to 375˚ and continue to bake for 30 minutes.  Bread should have a golden crust and sound hollow when tapped.  Remove from pan and try to let it cool before slicing. I couldn't. 

After the first rise

Ready to bake

Couldn't wait

Pretty!

Speaking of bread, Nick and I are doing a New Testament challenge that our church is doing. See www.mountaintopchurch.com for reading plans etc. We are reading the entire new testament and will finish on Easter. We have been doing a really good job and are learning quite a bit. I wanted to share a verse that stood out to me last night during our nightly reading.  The verse is in  1 Thessalonians, which is written by Paul to the new believers in Thessalonica. It is chapter 3 verse 11-13. Paul writes, " Now may our God and Father himself and our Lord Jesus clear the way for us to come to you. May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else, just as ours does for you. May he strengthen your hearts so that you will be blameless and holy in the presence of our God and Father when our Lord Jesus comes with all his holy ones." 

This just stood out to me because this verse shows how we should love and support each other, and build each other up in Christ so we can all be ready when He comes back. So, this will be my prayer for the week. That I can love overflowingly (is that a word?) so that Christ will be evident in me.  And for encouragement, Paul writes in 2 Thessalonians 2:18-19, "May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by His grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word." 

So be encouraged.