April House Block and a Half and Half Wheat Bread Recipe

 

This 12" April House Block is part of my Calendar of Houses Bee Quilt.  A friend and I organized this on-line bee a couple of years ago after being members of two previous on-line bees.

 

There were twelve of us in the bee - from the United States as well as England and New Zealand.  Every month, each of us made a block for a member and a different member made a block for us.  The house design was to represent that month.  This April block is a bit different.  The maker is a friend of mine.  We quilt together and teach together.  She was born in Kansas and so was I.  She chose to make a Kansas house block for me, featuring Wizard of Oz characters Dorothy and Toto along with the ruby red slippers.  This block is a wonderful addition to my quilt, don't you think?  The quilt hangs in my classroom and makes my room cheerful and cozy - perfect for reading.  

Each bee member also created a small siggy (signature) block, which I put on the back of the quilt.  Here is the siggy block.  Isn't it a perfect accompaniment to the larger block?

 

Half and Half Wheat Bread

2-1/4 cups water
1/3 cup honey
1/3 cup butter
3-1/2 cups white flour, divided
3-1/2 cups whole wheat flour
3 tablespoons sugar
4 teaspoons salt
½ cup powdered milk
2 packages active dry yeast

1.  Heat water, honey, and butter over low heat until warm. 

2.  In a large bowl thoroughly mix 2-1/2 cups white flour, sugar, salt, powdered milk, and yeast.
3.  Add liquids to dry ingredients; beat 2 minutes at medium speed on electric mixer, scraping bowl occasionally.
4.  Add 1 cup white flour; beat at high speed for 2 minutes.
5.  Gradually stir in enough whole wheat flour to make a soft dough. 
6.  Turn dough out onto lightly floured counter.  Knead until smooth and elastic, about 8 to 10 minutes.
7.  Place in greased bowl, turning to grease top.  Cover and let rise in a warm place (80-90 degrees) until doubled (about 1 hour).
8.  Punch dough down and let rise again until doubled.  Turn out onto lightly floured counter.  Let rest 5 minutes.
9.  Divide dough in half and shape into loaves.  Place in greased 9 x 5 x 3-inch bread pans.  Cover and let rise until doubled, about 40 minutes.
10.  Bake in preheated oven at 400 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes, or until done.  Remove from pans and cool on wire racks.

You might also enjoy reading my previous blog post: here