This is a story I wrote just a little over 5 years ago just a few months after we had started our RV life, it was originally posted Feb 25, 2012 on our defunct RV blog, so I am saving it here just for the heck of it.

About a month before we started this new adventure, living full time (Full-Timers) in our motor home, my bread machine broke! If that hadn’t happened I wouldn’t have started making bread from scratch, kneading it myself, letting it rise, punching it down and then turning it into something special! You may think you can’t make and have fresh bread while dry-camping (Boon-Docking) but it’s a lot easier than you think.

Because we’re trying to travel as light as we can, not having the big bread making machine is really space saving. All I need for making bread is one bowl, measuring cups and spoons and my wooden spoon!

We also use solar, and a bread machine draws about 700 watts for at least 2 hours, so I was planning on only having home made bread while we are staying in an RV park with hook-ups.

Relaxing in Earp, Ca, in the Mojave desert on the Colorado River.

It’s cool the way things worked out—I really enjoy making dough, for bread or pizza or even experimenting with new recipes, some that I never would have only tried in a big kitchen with my machine!

CHALLAH

Mix in large bowl, with big wooden spoon, to soften/start yeast:

½ Cup Water (warm water to 110 degrees)

3 tsp Yeast

2 Tbsp Honey

2 Tbsp Raw or organic Sugar

Let this mixture set for about 10 minutes.

With wooden spoon, stir into yeast mixture:

1 tsp Salt

1 Egg

1/4 Cup Olive Oil

Now add about 2 Cups of Flour:

Add in 1 cup of the flour, mix well. Add a little more flour till no longer sticky. Dump out onto floured counter or work area. Knead in remaining flour–adding enough flour so that the dough does not stick to your hands or counter. BUT not too dry! Don’t worry if you don’t use all of the 2 cups of flour, or if you need more than the 2 cups. Shape into ball and put back into the bowl—you need to oil it first, turn the ball to cover it with oil. Cover with plastic wrap loosely, tucking it around the ball and cover with a towel. Put in a warm place (warmed oven, turn on oven to low temp for 5 minutes and then turn off), to rise for 1-2 hours, till doubled in size. (If you don’t know how to knead, just go to YouTube and search “How to Knead Bread Dough” there are tons of videos on how-to)

Punch down and let rest for 5 minutes. Place dough on very lightly floured counter. Divide into 3 pieces. Roll into ropes 10”-12” long. They should be fatter in the middle and taper out on the ends. Pinch one end of the ropes together, then braid the ropes. Tuck the ends under and plump up and shape your loaf.

Place loaf on greased cookie sheet, mist with water (if you don’t have a mister you can wet your fingers and flick the water on). Cover loosely with plastic and let rise 1-1 ½ hours, in warm, draft free place (in the oven again, you don’t need to re-heat), until double in size.

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Beat an egg, brush over loaf (you can sprinkle with seeds, poppy, sesame, or whatever you like. Bake 20-25 minutes. Shalom Shabbat!

braid