Raspberry Jam and Homemade Bread

One of the easiest things to home preserve is jam--any flavor just about. All I do is follow the recipe included in the SureGel or Ball Fruit Jell Pectin boxes. They have recipes for both freezer jam, jellies, and cooked jams included. I prefer the freezer jam just because I have the storage for it and it takes a little less time. This is my raspberry jam that I made from the raspberries I grew in my garden. If you have never had homemade raspberry jam you are missing out. And I guarantee that you will never buy store bought raspberry jam again once you do try it. This is the only jam that my kids will eat. And if you have homemade bread (which I am making this morning) to spread it on it is like heaven!

I have been accused of not sharing a secret ingredient or tip about how to make this bread, but I promise I am not holding anything back. I've tried to put down as many of the little tricks or tweaks that I do so that you can have a successful outcome.

Here is the bread recipe that I most often use:

White Wheat Bread— from Toastmaster (bread machine)
1 ½ c. warm water
2 Tbs. oil
2 tsp. lemon juice
2 tsp. salt
4 Tbs. sugar
2 Tbs. dry milk
3 c. bread flour
1 c. whole wheat flour
2 tsp. active dry yeast

Mix all together. Let raise 1 hr. Divide into loaf pans, cover, and let raise another 45 min. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Tips--
**This is a bread machine recipe, however, I do not like how the bread turns out baked in the bread machine. So if I were to make it using my bread machine I would put it on the dough setting, and once that is complete divide the loaves and put in loaf pans, cover and let raise for the 45 minutes and then bake it in the oven.

**If you have a mixer like a KitchenAid or other brand, I mix all together except for the flours in the bowl. Let the yeast activate for 10 minutes or so and then mix in the flours. I have a bread setting on my mixer that "kneads" it for about 3 minutes before I let it raise the first time.

**I usually grease my bowl with shortening before adding the bread dough. Then I put it in a warmed oven (start to preheat your oven, but turn it off after 1 minute or less of preheating) covered with a towel to let it raise.

**I double recipe this to make 3 LARGE loaves for my family. The 7 of us can consume one loaf at one meal really easy.

**If you have stoneware loaf pans, use them. I like how it cooks better than other loaf pans.