What's in Your Bread?

I don't do it often, and I wish I did it more...bake my own bread.  It is so incredibly easy.  There is something so cozy about baking a loaf of fresh homemade wholesome bread on a cold winter day.  Waiting for the bread to rise gives me an excuse to put on a good movie, change into some comfy clothes and relax.  If you are like me and you have baked your own bread (I've made my own butter too which is even easier!), then you would know that it takes very little ingredients to make. 

Bread is basically made up of flour (whole wheat has more nutrition than white flour), salt, yeast, and water.  There's really not much more to it.  So why is it that when we buy bread from the grocery store, there are so many ingredients listed (unpronounceable) on our bread labels?  Next time you are standing at your fridge, take out your bread and peak at the nutrition label.  You may see ingredients like soy lecithin, ascorbic acid, high fructose corn syrup, soy flour, malt extract, etc...

A good nutritious bread should really only have the basic ingredients listed above with maybe some honey or sugar added.  There is always a loaf of Ezekiel bread in my fridge which is organic bread made from sprouted grains that can be found in most Whole Foods or health food stores.  The cinnamon raisin is awesome.  But if you aren't into that kind of thing and you just want to buy a regular nutritious bread for your house, check the ingredients and make sure you are buying a wholesome loaf.  Remember, there should only be ingredients in your bread which you can read, know what they are, and there should be very few of them.

And...if you want to make your own butter, this is the recipe I use.  It comes out perfect every time! http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/homemade-butter-recipe/index.html