If at first you don't succeed try try again...

 I have only succeeded in making rocks every time I try to make bread but I still continue to try so when I found this dough recipe I thought I would try again.
I found this dough recipe here:

• 8 Cups of Flour (I prefer to use a combination of White Wheat and All Purpose Flour)
• 3 Tablespoons of Instant/Fast Acting Yeast
• 3 Tablespoons of Brown Sugar
• 2 teaspoons of Sea Salt
• 3 Cups of Hot from the tap Water

Note: This recipe makes a large batch of dough (enough to make 2 large loaves).

I use a stand mixer with a dough hook.  I add 6 cups of the flour and the remaining dry ingredients.  I mix them for just a few seconds, then I add the water slowly as it is kneading.

Once you’ve added all your water and it has mixed in, you will need to add your remaining 2 cups of flour.  Depending on the humidity or alignment of the Earth, you may or may not need all of the flour.  Add flour slowly until the dough is “cleaning” the sides of your bowl.  You can knead this for as long as you prefer.  I just mix it thoroughly until it makes a dough ball on my hook and call it good.

Next, place your dough ball in a large bowl.  I spray mine with oil and make sure it coats the entire dough ball.  Cover with a warm damp hand towel to aid in rising.  Sometimes, I turn my oven on for just a few minutes and then turn it off.  I  place my bowl in the oven during the rise time.  Do not put your bowl or dough in a hot oven to rise, it could melt your bowl and cook your bread.  You just need a warm oven.  Use common sense here.

Once your dough has risen for 15 minutes, punch it down.  Divide your dough.  Shape it and you are ready for cooking. 

With this recipe you have two cooking options, which is another reason I love this recipe. 

Option 1 – Put your shaped dough in a COLD oven and turn it on to 400 degrees.  Check on it in 20 minutes.

Option 2 – Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.  While it is preheating, cover your shaped dough and let it rise on the stove until the oven is ready.  Check on it in 20 minutes.

I love this recipe because it consistently yields good bread.  It freezes well and is quick.
I liked how the author "likes how it consistently yields good bread" This encouraged me to try again.

Bread success

The sourdough loaf from the bread machine looks so good and smells wonderful. I found the recipe at allrecipes.com I used my left over whey from our cheese making to feed my starter and in place of the milk and water in the recipe. I have frozen the rest of the whey for more bread making. I just hate to waste anything. The cheese we made yesterday tastes rather bland so we will have to herb it up or use it for baking. Not quite a spread for crackers unless we make a cheese ball again. But we really just made it to go along with Pitty-pat's Little House in the Big Woods pioneer unit study. I plan to put the facts I learned about cheese on the time line I am putting together for our history study. I just don't know how I want to show the timeline. One poster isn't enough space and a wall is too much room to dedicate to this project. I just want to show the time from the pilgrims (last years history lessons)to the pioneers for now with a few things far before and after as we learn them this year

benchmark tasks

Tippy-toe learned to tie his shoes himself today in one easy lesson from Aaron. It was amazing to watch them together. It took all of ten minuets. I was amazed. I remember my dad sitting patiently with my three oldest teaching them to tie over and over again. He had so much patience for children. Aaron is so good with the kids. Today he has taken cam to sight in her gun and shoot her bow. Tippy-toe got to tag along. He called and he got to shoot too and he has acorns in is pocket to grow a tree someday.

Little-man has a bench mark of his own. I have a long weekend so he is sitting on his potty chair. I haven't had any luck catching him tinkle yet. But he is telling us he is wet, so he is ready.

More bread experiments today. Sourdough in the bread machine. I'll let you know how it turns out later. Pitty-pat is amazed by the living yeast. We will be growing our starter like the pioneers for a while so they can watch it. I like this edible science.