Bread: the best way to spend a lazy day

Oh man I love bread.

Do you think Martha has a version of this bread that is carb-free? Because I have a major addiction.

Honey white bread:

-1/2 c warm water (Lukewarm! I actually killed my yeast when making rolls on Thanksgiving because it was too hot and had to serve hockey puck rolls to my family)
-2 pkgs dry yeast
-1 tsp sugar
-1 1/2 c milk
-6 tbsp butter
-2 tbsp honey
-2 egg yolks, beaten
-About 6 c flour
-1 tbsp salt

Trust me: bread is not as scary as you think it is. But you do have to pay attention to it, or you will end up with hockey pucks. Also, I need to come clean about something: I have no idea how to make bread by hand. I rely on my stand mixer w/ the dough hook.

Turn your oven to "warm" or whatever the lowest setting is. Warm up your mixing bowl for a few minutes before adding the yeast, water and sugar. Yeast loves being warm...just remember not to kill it with too much heat. Stir and leave it alone for 5 minutes.

In a small saucepan, warm up the milk and butter until the butter has melted and the liquid is about 110 degrees. Fit your yeast bowl into the stand mixer w/ the dough hook. Turn the mixer on low and slowly add the milk mixture and honey to the bowl.

With your mixer on low, add the egg yolks, 3 cups of flour and the salt for 5 minutes, then add 2 more cups of flour.

Put the mixer on medium and knead for 8 minutes, adding bits of flour every few minutes so the dough doesn't stick to the bowl. Don't go over 6 cups!

Dump out the dough onto a floured surface, and knead by hand for about a minute. Wash and grease the mixer bowl while the dough rests. Add the dough to the bowl, turn it over a few times so the top gets some of the grease. Turn off the oven (so it stays warm but doesn't get too hot) and cover the bowl with a damp towel. Put the bowl into your oven for about an hour, until the dough doubles in size.

Once your dough has risen, punch it down once and divide in half. Grease two 9x5" loaf pans, shape the dough to fit, add to the pans. Cover with a damp towel and it's back into the oven to rise for another hour.

Remove the loaf pans, preheat the oven to 350. Brush the tops with an egg wash (one egg beaten with a few tablespoons of milk or water), bake for 40 to 45 minutes. Let them cool on a rack, not in the loaf pan.

Yummy variation: Cinnamon swirl bread

Follow the recipe above until you get to the part where you punch down the dough.

Instead, divide it in half and gently roll each half into a small rectangle. Mix together about 3/4 cup of sugar with 4 or 5 tablespoons of cinnamon. Spread soft butter into the center of each rectangle, not quite going to the edges. Sprinkle a healthy dose of the cinnamon sugar onto the butter, then roll your rectangle into a loaf shape. Let rise for an hour and bake according to the instructions above. YUM!