Whole wheat molasses bread

At the same women's conference Julie refered to, Sister Julie B. Beck shared a story about her mother moving a long way away-- before email and such-- and how sad she was. She asked her mother at the time, "Who will be my mother?" Her mother answered, "Look to the Relief Society. They will be your mother." I loved this so much because in the 21 months that mom has been gone, I have had times that I have needed a mother, and a mothers unconditional love and understanding.

This past week, I had a moment that really allowed me to glimpse the principle Sister Beck shared in reality. I went visiting teaching and we got discussing the price of groceries. We were talking about how a decent loaf of bread with whole grains ranges from $2-$4 a loaf. This good sister said that she makes her own whole wheat bread and then offered to take time out of a two job very busy schedule to show me how. She ground my wheat and we spent the next 2 1/2 hours making the most delicious whole wheat bread.

I hope that I too can be the kind of person who sees the underlying need of a mother heart and will be there to provide it as this good sister did for me.

Whole wheat molasses bread

2 3/4 c warm water
2T yeast (SAF yeast only requires 1 T)
1/3 c oil
1/3 c honey
1/4 c molasses
1 1/2 t salt
8-10 c whole wheat flour

Dissolve the yeast in the warm water. Stir in the oil, honey, molasses, salt and 5 cups flour until well combined. Allow to rest 10 min. Then knead in enough flour to make a moderately stiff dough that is just barely not sticky. Knead for about 4 min. Put in a lightly oiled bowl, turn once to coat, and cover with a towel to let rise until double. (approx. 1 hour) Preheat oven to 375. Punch down and form into two loaves and place into greased bread pans. Allow to rise for ONLY 10-11 min. then bake for 32-35 min.

Flour tip: freshly ground wheat flour is fluffy and perfect for bread. When using store bought flour it tends to settle and may require less. To help keep the measurements more consistent, stir the flour around to fluff it up before you measure.

hot rolls and funerals

A lady in our ward died the other day. I got a call asking if I could help with a dinner. I said, "Sure, what do you need?" Originally they wanted me to do funeral potatoes. For a family that deals with lactose intollerance, we don't exactly keep stuff on hand for such a dish which makes it hard. The other thing they needed were rolls. "I can do that." I told the sister that I would bring 2 dozen. "Oh." she said in surprise. I asked if that would be enough or if she needed more. "Oh, no. That will be fine. It is just going to save me a phone call is all."

As I was preparing Mom's refigerator rolls, I thought about how many times I had watched her make them for just an event. In her own way she was serving again this week; she was just using someone elses hands.