moms bread

When my parents were married in 1945, there were not a whole lot of material conveniences to bring into a new household. But mom had a unique way of making Dad and others feel loved and cared for. She baked home made bread.
There is nothing more inviting and mouth watering as coming home to the aroma of home made bread, and Mom's recipe made four beautiful loaves. But Mom did something very special with her bread, she always gave the prettiest loaf away.
In 1962, when I was seven years old, my Dad suffered a massive heart attack. He was unable to work for more than a year. Not only did we come close to losing Dad, but we lost most everything else. We lost Dad's business, our extra car, the boat, the trailer, and almost our house. However Mom found enough work to keep us fed and even managed to make her bread, always giving the prettiest loaf away.
One of the jobs Mom worked was as a row-boss in a berry field. The days were very long, and the sun would always burn her. In fact she was often called Dorothy, the Red-Nosed Row-Boss. After a few years of this, she found a job as a dental assistant. Though the workday was long and Mom was tired when she came home, she still made time to bake her, bread and to give the prettiest loaf away.
I will never forget the day when Mom called me into the kitchen to teach me the fine art of bread making. She carefully told me of each ingredient, taught me how to knead and to shape the dough into loaves. But the most important part was to give the prettiest loaf away.
When I was a senior in high school my Mom was diagnosed with breast cancer. She had a Radical Mastectomy and then went through Chemotherapy and Radiation. She lost her hair numerous times, she suffered terrible burns from the radiation, but all through these hard times she continued to bake her bread and to give the prettiest loaf away.
Mom's condition deteriorated as her cancer metastasized and it became increasingly difficult to keep up with her bread making. Normally, after Mom gave a loaf of bread away, the remaining three loaves lasted about one week. One day Mom realized that she could not give a loaf away and still have the energy to make enough bread for she and Dad to last the week. Our family all agreed that it was time to think of herself first. The day the decision was made to not give a loaf away, Mom went about her baking. She did nothing different, she used the same recipe, adding nothing extra. But while the bread was rising, Mom decided that she really did need to give a loaf away. This tradition was so ingrained in her life style, that she could not let it go. As Mom went to shape the dough into loaves, she found there was too much dough for the four regular loaves. In fact there was just enough dough for a fifth loaf! Mom could give the prettiest loaf away and still have enough bread for she and Dad to last the week.
From that day forth, Mom's recipe made five loaves. The day arrived when she was too weak to get out of bed to make the bread herself. Dad called me to come home to help Mom. Her time left here on earth was very near over. I took over mom's bread making that day, with Mom passing away a few days later. I have continued Mom's legacy, but try as I may, I cannot get mom's recipe to produce any more than four loaves. Is it missing some secret ingredient? No, miracles do happen. “…for it is by faith that miracles are wrought; and it is by faith that angels appear and minister unto men…” (Moroni 7:37) I know this, because I have witnessed it.


Mom Dennis' Bread Recipe
1/2 C water (warm)
5 C hot water
1 C brown sugar
6 tsp. salt
1/2 C oil
16 C flour
Soften yeast in 1/2 C warm water, Combine hot water', brown sugar., salt, oil and 4 Cups flour, beat well. Add yeast. Beat well, Add remaining flour. Knead. Let rise twice.
Makes 4 loaves.
Cook at 375 for 30 minutes.