Dad's Yummy, Fresh, Homebaked Bread

A year ago for Christmas, Shawn got me one of those fancy and expensive Kitchen Aid Stand Mixers. I wanted one because it was my intention to bake more and we could have yummy fresh bread. Well, I've used the mixer for pie pastry, pizza crust, cakes, and cookies but I have yet to bake bread. I just found the whole thought of it totally too overwhelming and didn't want the mess to clean up when I was done so I kept making excuses why I couldn't be bothered.

Well just after Thanksgiving (when I used the mixer for something, I think pumpkin pie), Shawn decided that he wanted to give it a go and bake bread. I was grumpy at first because in my mind I am thinking, "Yeah, you go and bake bread and it will be a disaster and I will have a HUGE mess to clean up and I'm just going to resent you!" So I begged him to wait. A couple of days later he asked again. This time I told him he was welcome to bake bread, but I was NOT going to clean up after him and if he ever wanted to be given permission to EVER do it again, I had better have nothing to clean up afterwards. It seems like I am always feeling like I am being punished whenever he is given free reign of the kitchen. So he started with an easy recipe that you put in the refrigerator overnight to rise. It was the recipe recommended in the instruction book that came with the mixer. It turned out to be pretty good. Well, we haven't had store bought bread since. Shawn has been quite the baker and he is graduating onto more ambitious recipes, such as this beautiful loaf you see below which is whole wheat. It's made using wheat that we ground ourselves. This is by far the best tasting he's made so far and look at how beautiful it turned out! I am so proud of him! He's even made yummy dinner rolls and the best homemade pizza crust I've ever had. Maybe he's found his true calling in life? Oh, and I have yet to have to clean up a mess as a result of his baking adventures, everyone is a winner.