The Staff of Life

We never had store-bought bread growing up. One of my earliest memories is sitting on the kitchen linoleum with my little brother while my mom mixed the dough in her Bosch. We would hum along to the sound of the mixer, and repeat made-up phrases that we thought the motor was "saying." Recently my brother and I reminisced about this particular memory, and I realized why I associate feelings of warmth and peace with the smell of home-baked bread.

To this day, there is little else that brings about the strong feelings of home and goodness that making my own bread does.

Not to mention the fact that, at long last, I really do prefer the taste of homemade to store-bought.

(A fact that gives me hope that, although they don't appreciate it now, someday my own children will long for the wholesome goodness of made-from-scratch bread)

Anyway, I am currently having a bread-making crisis. The recipe - my mom's recipe - that I have been making for a few years now, is not working for me any more. As in, it literally will not work. As in, it is dense and flat and weird (and it gets soggy after the first day). I have tried changing temperatures, changing yeasts, changing amounts of every ingredient under the sun. It just won't work. It is baffling. Especially when my mom brings me one of her loaves, and it is perfect (pictured). What is wrong with me (/my oven/my ingredients/all of the above)?!

Which is why our Friday Reader Recipe theme is going to be:

BREAD.

Whole wheat is preferable, of course. As is low sugar content. And easy. PLEASE easy!

Oh, and if it's not too much trouble, a recipe that makes 3 loaves, maximum...now I'm just getting nit-picky.

I really need to find a good go-to recipe, so I am counting on all of you.

Don't let me down.