Milk & Honey Bread

I spent the better part of the late morning/early afternoon baking bread, an activity I didn't seem to have the time for last winter. Rick and I much prefer home baked to store bought bread. I like to experiment adding more whole grain flours and reducing the amount of refined white flour. When the recipe produces multiple loaves, one loaf stays out to be eaten fresh and the rest get wrapped, labeled and put into the freezer as soon as they cool to be savoured at a later date.

Todays recipe was called Milk & Honey Loaf eventhough it contains no milk! I added to the amount of rye and whole wheat flours in the original recipe succesfully. Here is the resulting recipe:

1 tablespoon active dry yeast
1/3 cup honey
2 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
1-1/4 teaspoons salt
1/3 cup butter, melted
1 cup rye flour
3 cups whole wheat flour
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour


In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Allow yeast to sit until it begins to form bubbles.
Add honey, butter, and salt to the yeast mixture. Stir in flours one cup at a time, beginning with the rye. When the dough begins to stiffen, turn it out on to a well floured surface. Knead for 5 minutes, adding flour as needed. Place into a greased bowl, and turn once to oil the surface of the dough. Cover with a damp cloth. Allow to rise in a warm place until doubled, approximately 1 to 2 hours.

Punch down dough, and knead again until smooth. Split into 2 loaves, and knead for a few more minutes. Place loaves in two oiled pans. Allow to rise until double, 1 to 2 hours.

Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 20 to 30 minutes, or until golden brown. Cool in pans for 10 minutes, and then turn out onto counter or wire rack to completely cool.

The name of this bread was speaking to my spirit all through the day as I meditated on God's promise to His people:

But I said to you, "You will possess their land; I will give it to you as an inheritance, a land flowing with milk and honey." I am the LORD your God, who has set you apart from the nations
Leviticus 20:24

I have been praying about what my promised land is to look like. Am I already here? At times it seems so, at other times, that land seems quite distant. I pray that the Lord will reveal to me what steps He desires me to make to possess the inheritance He has in store for me. I don't want to be content with yesterday's bread when I can feast on a fresh word each day!