Make Braided Sesame Bread for excellent sandwiches

Baking bread is a pleasant little hobby that I enjoy, usually on days when I plan to stay home and write. Sometimes I will make a huge batch of loaves, about six in one session, and stock my freezer for the coming month. But recently I decided to change my routine and bake once a week. My six loaf routine was getting a little dull.

The Aroma of Toasted Sesame is Heavenly!

We don’t have too many bread bakeries near the ranch, and the grocery store offerings are always disappointing. One of my many reasons to make my own bread is that even if the recipe takes three hours (as this one does) it still takes less time for me to make a loaf of bread than to drive to town to buy one when we run out. Baking bread is a chore that I fit in between other projects.

Baking your Own Bread is Rewarding

Usually I will be writing in my office, and will get stuck on a phrase or idea that just doesn’t sound right. “I know!” Let’s go to the kitchen and make a loaf of bread!” So I leave the writing, work on a loaf, and then go back to my desk while it is rising. During the time that I assemble the ingredients, knead the dough, and then clean up, I have thought through my writing puzzle, and I finish the piece faster than if I had stayed chained to my desk. And, I get a fresh loaf of bread out of my fit of unproductiveness.

Making my own bread is always a win-win.

This recipe for Braided Sesame Loaf is really a good one, and I know I will be adding it more often to my recipe rotation. We ate it too fast to turn it into anything creative like grilled sandwiches, or toast, but that’s all the more reason to make it again.