Depression Cure

Before reaching out for that bottle of pills or liquid or calling your therapist, try bread making. I see you running for the nearest exit. Hey, stop. I am old and ignore the bursitis, arthritis and maybe some other itises and neither did I have a date for New Year's Eve. Aloneness? Why would I complain about it when most working people crave more time alone?  My method of bread making is the Coles of the matter. The first step is buying flour. Local is best but for now, I recommend a small sack of whole grain, not whole wheat, a sack of any old unbleached white flour and a jar of quick yeast. The rest, you already have except for your machine. Yes, use a machine to mix the dough. You're entitled. I used some airmiles to get the one that is the cheapest brand. Or get it at the cheapest store or second hand outlet as well. Pride is of no concern of wannabees or at our very wise age. The fancy brands being for show offs, my cheap brand works just as well and if it breaks, I can buy two more at the same cost as one of the pricey ones.  No. You are not going to bake bread in the bread maker, you are going to let it do the hard part: the kneading. If you are a kneader, hang on for the fun, you can do it at the end when you take the blob of dough out of the mixer. You will dirty up few utensils: one tablespoon and a measuring cup and when you're all done, the bread bucket from the machine. Not a lot of dish washing. Baking sheets are easy.  Here's the recipe. Plug in the mixer and push the button to "dough". Liquids go in first. Into your four cup measuring jug, put two cups of milk (powdered mix is okay), 3 tablespoons of butter and 3 of sugar, 2 of salt and a tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar.  Heat it a bit in the mikey. Crack an egg into it and stir up well. Dump it all into the mixer bucket. On top of it put in your flour: three cups of white and two of whole grain flour. Dig a little dent into the top of the flour and put in close to a couple of tablespoons of yeast. Close the lid, and since you have already pushed the "dough"  button, hit the "start" one, and sit back until the beeps wake you up. ( I see you peeking inside the lid window as it works. Confession. I do it, too. ) Beep, beep, beep. You see a lovely dough. You can remove the little bucket and gently ease out the ball of dough. See what you did? You made bread! You can knead it a bit only if you like, and then cut the dough into shapes of your choice. I like cutting it in half and using one to make a round loaf and the rest for buns. They need to sit a bit to rise a little more and then they're ready for the oven. Brace yourself for the aroma of baking bread. After 25 minutes in a 350 degree, oven, you have arrived! You're a baker! When you get better at this, you can add to your flour what you please: cheese, nuts, raisins, dried fruit, herbs. If you want to impress all of your new found friends who dropped around at the aroma of fresh baked bread, you can brush the top of your bread with butter or beaten egg and drizzle on some oats or other herbs and grains during the baking process. For those who say they live in an urban small place too tiny for a bread machine, uh uh. Your bread maker friend covered, can make a good foot rest if nothing else!