Honey Buttermilk Bread

Yesterday I made the after school kids one of their favorite treats;  homemade bread with apple butter.  None of these kids had ever had apple butter until last year and it was an instant hit.  I make sure to only buy the good stuff which is made at festivals with no added sugar.

I tried a new bread recipe that went with it perfectly.  You can use any kind of honey you have but the darker the honey, the richer the flavor.  I used the healthiest honey of all, buckwheat honey.  Here are the ingredients:

• 1T. rapid rise yeast
• pinch of powdered ginger
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1/4 cup water
• 2 cups  buttermilk
• 1/3 cup honey
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 4 T. softened butter
• 6 cups white bread flour, 
• Mix all of the ingredients together except the flour and then add the flour 2 cups at a time.  Mix until you have a smooth elastic slightly sticky dough.  Place it in a buttered bowl, cover it and let it rise until doubled.  It will take about 1-1/2 hours.

Remove the dough from the bowl after it has risen.

Split the dough in half.

Press each half down into a rectangle.

Roll it tightly into a loaf shape.

Place the loaves into buttered pans.  This recipe will make 2 loaves.

Cover the loaves and let them rise for about 30 minutes until they crest the top of the pans.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.  Bake the loaves for about 35 minutes or until they have an internal temperature of 190 degrees.  I always check the internal temperature...why not?

Cool the loaves on a rack.

I sent them some caramel apple lollipops too which they really liked and gallons of good local apple cider.