Ingredients

• 5-6 cups freshly milled flour (hard red or hard white) (see Notes below)
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 1 egg
• 1/3 cup honey
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup kefir or homemade whey
• 1 scant tablespoon instant yeast
• 2 teaspoons sea salt

Instructions

1. In the DLX mixer, combine the water, kefir, olive oil, egg, honey, salt, and flour (everything EXCEPT the yeast). Mix well, cover, and allow to sit in a warm place for at least 7 hours.
2. Add the yeast and let the mixer knead the dough for 10-12 minutes.
3. Divide dough in half. On a lightly oiled surface, roll each half into a rectangle and then roll up, pinwheel style, along the shorter edge. Pinch along the seam to seal.
4. Place each loaf seam-side down in a large (1.5-2 lb.) loaf pan that has been greased with butter or olive oil on the bottom and sides. Or you can skip the oil and just line the loaf pan with sheets of parchment paper.
5. Let loaves rise in a warm place until the tops are 1-2 inches above the pan, about an hour or longer.
6. Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees for 28-30 minutes. Be careful not to bang the pans while putting them in the oven or the loaves may fall.
7. When they are done, take them out of the pans immediately to avoid soggy sides. You can use a spatula to loosen each side of the loaf from the pan, and they usually slide right out. If you use the parchment paper it comes out very easily.
8. Place on a cooling rack and cover with a dish towel while they cool. The towel helps keep the crust from getting too hard/thick.
9. When slightly cooled (about 20 minutes), place each loaf in a plastic bag. This helps retain softness and moisture.
10. If you wish to freeze the loaves, put them in the freezer immediately after placing them in the bags. When ready to use them, allow to thaw on the counter, not the microwave. This will only take a couple of hours, and they will still be moist and light.

Notes

• You may have to use a little more than 5 cups of flour. You don't want wet dough, but you don't want it dry as a bone, either.
• To make the honey slide out of the measuring cup easily, measure the oil first and then the honey (using the same measuring cup).
• You want to let the dough sit for at least 7 hours but not much more than 12 hours else the end result will be sour. If you like sourdough bread, let it go longer.
• If you add the yeast with the other ingredients, the bread will taste yeasty and nasty!