Whole Wheat Sandwich Bread

I recently improved my Sandwich bread recipe and I think it's time I posted it here.  I like it because it uses 100% whole wheat flour, and doesn't require a lot of processed ingredients.  It's also fairly simple, and yields a dense, moist, loaf that's perfect for peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.  It also isn't overly bitter like many whole wheat breads.  So, without further ado:

You'll need:

• 1 tbls active dry yeast
• 1 tbls sugar
• 1 cup warm water
• 1/4 cup melted butter
• 3 tbls honey
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1/4 cup orange juice
• 1&1/2 tsp salt
• About 3-4 cups of 100% whole wheat flour

Start by dissolving the yeast and sugar in 1 cup of warm water.  It should become frothy on top as the yeast activates.  Add the butter, milk, honey, orange juice, salt, and mix together.  Then add 3 cups of flour and mix until combined.  By the time that's combined you should be have a sticky, wet dough, that you can't really stir with a spoon anymore.  Start adding flour about 1/4 cup at a time and mix with your hands until the dough becomes kneadable and no longer sticks to everything it touches.  Continue to knead for another 5-7 minutes until the dough becomes smooth and springy.  Transfer to a bowl and let rise until double, about 1-2 hours.  Gently deflate and shape it into an 8 inch log, then set it in a lightly greased 8x5 bread pan.  Cover the bread pan loosely with lightly greased plastic wrap.  Allow this to rise about an hour or until the top of loaf is about 1" above the pan.  Then place in a 350 degree oven and cook for 35-40 minutes.

And that's my 100% Whole Wheat Sandwich Bread recipe.  I haven't tried it yet, but I bet it'd be really good with some tree nuts too.  I'll add step by step pictures next time I make it, I know those always help me.

A day in life of a working dad

It's tough being a working dad.  Especially when mom works too.  My wife and I work opposing shifts, hers in the morning, and mine at night, which makes childcare a lot more affordable, but definitely takes some patience.  However, this does mean that I get lots of good one-on-one time with Oliver.

On a normal day we'll get up around 8 to see mom off, and then play until he gets hungry around 9.  Then we'll read or play some more until he takes his first nap somewhere around 10-10:30.  Then I can clean up and get ready for the day, and depending on how long he sleeps, spend some time relaxing on the computer, or playing with the dog.  He'll usually be out for about an hour, after which we'll have some tummy/floor time.   Then we'll read if he's not too restless, we're working on Jules Verne's 20,000 Leagues right now, one of dad's favorites.  If I'm lucky, after that he'll take another bottle and a short nap while I prepare my lunch and his bag for daycare, and then we're out the door and I'm in for 8 hours of non-stop fun work.

It's not a glamorous life by any means.  It's 16 hour days, 5 days a week, but it's hard to have a bad day after you hear that baby giggle, even if it only lasts a few moments.

The Blog

I'd like to start by taking some time to explain what this blog is going to be about.  I'm a new dad, my son, Oliver, is about 4 months old now.  I've learned a lot of information in that time, and I continue to learn more each day.  So what I want to do here is pass on some of the hard-earned knowledge that I've come by, relate some amusing stories, and talk about what it means to work full time and be a full time dad.

So, a little more about me and my family to start with.  My name is Thomas, then there's my fiancee Jessi, our son, Oliver, and our dog Yoshimi.  Jessi and I grew up in the midwest and moved to Austin, Texas, a few months before Oliver was born.  Needless to say, there was a lot of change to deal with in a short amount of time.  Fortunately for Oliver (and Jessi) I'm a pretty quick learner so I got through the basics of fatherhood pretty quick.  I am both a nerd and a foodie.  When I'm not working, or taking care of Oliver, I'm generally either cooking, watching or reading some Sci-fi material, or just messing around on my computer.  My favorite sport is soccer and I follow the Premier League side Chelsea rather intently (Go Blues).  I think that's enough about me for now.

Jessi and I are both DIY and environmentally minded, so it's also likely you'll see some projects or recipes posted on here occasionally, particularly things that have to do with infants and toddlers as time goes on.