Brown Sugar Bread

People have told me not to give out my bread recipe. What is bread if you cannot share it? What is a (bread) recipe if you cannot share it?

I'm not sure where this one came from.(Surprise, Surprise!) I had it at the bed and breakfast.(1998-2000) We went through a lot of it there. It was the most requested thing that I made, and I made a lot of different things for guests. (I still miss that place!)

As I have said before, my shoulders are not what they used to be. So making this in the bread machine is a lot easier on me. I do it in the mixer every once in a while too. But if you know how to make bread by all means do it by hand. The list of ingredients is in the order for my bread machine.

1 1/2 Cup Water*
1 tsp Salt
3 T Butter, melted
1/2 Cup Dark Brown Sugar
3 oz All-Bran Cereal**
3 1/2 Cups Bread Flour
1 Scant T Instant Yeast***

Place the ingredients in the pan of the bread machine in the order listed for your machine. Turn to the dough cycle and start. When cycle is complete, remove dough. Knead dough a few times to deflate. Shape and place in a prepared bread pan. Allow to raise. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for about 30 to 35 minutes. Remove from pan and allow to cool. (if you can) Slice and eat!

* I microwave the water in the measuring cup for 30 seconds just to take the chill off.

** This one is tricky. They don't always have the All-Bran that looks like little sticks or twigs. That measures differently than the All-Brand Buds. Twigs = 1 1/2 Cups, Buds = 1 Cup to get 3 oz. If using the buds heat the water for 1 minute in the microwave and pour over the buds in the pan and let sit for about 20 minutes before adding the rest of the ingredients.

*** Or use 1 package, but I buy mine in bulk, so it's a scant tablespoon.

Now for the Kristi Twist. I add in a few things to make it 'better'. The things I add do give a boost to the flavor. They may seem insignificant in small amounts but really do add flavor to the finished product.

1 T Toasted Wheat Germ
1 T Flax Seed or Flax Meal
1 T Malt Powder
1 T Honey

Add any one, or combination of, or all of the above. Enjoy!