BREADMAKING IN MY NEW PANS

A couple days ago, I made two large loaves of bread in my new 10" X 5" pans.  I adapted a recipe that would give me 24 slices and 24 ounce loaves each.  Great  I thought.  This recipe was sooo large that it strained my Kitchenaid mixer.  I really got scared, so at practically the end of the kneading process, it was straining so much I stopped the mixer, separated the dough in two and kneaded each batch separately in the mixer.  I then combined both pieces, put the dough in a greased, glass bowl and the dough rose great.  Next was a second rise in my new bread pans.  I waited and waited and they were supposed to rise an inch over the top of the pans, but didn't.  They only rose to the top of the pans.  I baked them anyways.

They baked up perfect.  I cut a slice off right out of the oven, put butter on it and the taste was fantastic.  The inside of the bread was not cakey but breadlike, which I wanted most of all.  This recipe also had honey in it, not sugar, like a lot of the recipes I researched.  I topped the bread dough with butter and sprinkled wheat bran on top and popped it in the oven.  Maybe next time I'll add nuts and died fruits or just nuts and flax seeds to begin with.

How great it was.  I guess next time I'll half the recipe for only one loaf.  This is a lot of bread.  Two large 10 inch  loaves may be OK if you're a family of four, but it's OK, because I froze one loaf and have the other loaf sliced and ready to use.  If I don't use up this loaf in another day or two, I'll have to store it also in the freezer.

Since the bread didn't rise that well the second time in the pans, I sliced the loaf horizontally four times and then vertically three times.  I made 12 slices per loaf.  Thicker than the slice you'll find at the market, but a lot fluffier and flavorful.  I put the slices in a zip lock freezer bag for quick access and also it will be ready to be frozen, if I don't use it fast enough.

I made tuna salad sandwiches with some of the bread.  Next, I'll also try toasting it.  I have the large openings in my toaster, so I don't believe I'll have a problem with the slices not going in or out.

I've read that you can 1 1/2 a recipe for these larger pans.  That seemed to work for a reviewer of bread recipes I was researching.  Maybe I'll try that next time for only one pan and less strain on my Kitchenaid mixer.