Milk Maker Bread

I was a week postpartum. After spending a week in the hospital recovering from a cesarean, we found ourselves sitting at home with an overwhelming albeit, adorable bundle of joy. My nights suddenly consisted of late-night feedings every two hours or more. And my days were full of dodging rockets of pee that came shooting out of my son diaper, soaking my clothes before I knew what had hit me. It was the most intimidating, wonderful, exhausting time of my life. But needless to say, as much as I love cooking, I wasn't about to bother with mucking about in the kitchen. I had a newborn to take care of and a wicked abdominal incision to tend to so cooking was the last thing on my mind.

Thank God for family and friends!

With the outpouring of love that came from our family and friends, our refrigerator was stocked for nearly two months! But the one dish that really stood out in my mind was the Milk Maker Bread. A couple of my friends came over just days after we got back from the hospital and they, like many others, came bearing food. I was beyond grateful that neither my husband or I had to cook so that we could put our efforts towards the baby and supporting each other. But during their visit, my friend presented me with the Milk Maker Bread that she had made for me. I had never heard of it before but as she explained to me, the bread is so packed full of nutrients that it helps to support the production of breast milk. Not only was the bread nutritional but it was absolutely delicious! On the side, my friend also made a cinnamon honey butter spread to go with the bread and the combination was mouth-watering.
Each time I eat this bread I am reminded of those beautiful, warm, sunny summer days where I first held my newborn son in my arms. After a long and exhausting night of midnight milk and diaper explosions, it was such a treat to be able to just slice off a thick chunk of rich bread, warm is slightly in the microwave, slather it in sweet cinnamon honey butter, and devour it in seconds. It was the easiest breakfast and snack to grab in my exhausted state making it the best meal I could've hoped for.

Now don't freak out. This bread won't make you suddenly lactate. Though its nutrients help encourage an increase in breast milk, that's simply because has lots of healthy goodies in it. Regardless if you are a breastfeeding mom or a rough and tough bachelor, this bread is good for you and makes for an easy grab and go breakfast or snack. So don't let the name make you shy away from giving this recipe a try. I'd hate for you to miss out on the great taste of this amazing bread!

Milk Maker Bread

Ingredients
2 cups boiling water
1 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup honey
2 tablespoons butter
2 teaspoons salt
1 package (2 1/4 teaspoons) active dry yeast
1/2 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
4 cups bread flour
2 tablespoons honey, warmed slightly
2 tablespoons rolled oats
2 tablespoons flax seeds
2 tablespoons brewer’s yeast

In a large mixing bowl, combine boiling water, oats, 1/2 cup honey, butter and salt. Let stand for 1 hour.

In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.

Pour the yeast mixture into the oat mixture. Add 2 cups of flour, flax seeds, and brewer’s yeast; mix well. Stir in the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, beating well after each addition. When the dough has pulled together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 20 minutes. Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.

Deflate the dough and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide the dough into two equal pieces and form into loaves. Place the loaves into two lightly greased 9x5 inch loaf pans. Cover the loaves with a damp cloth and let rise until doubled in volume, about 40 minutes. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Bake for about 30 minutes or until the top is golden brown and the bottom of the loaf sounds hollow when tapped. Remove loaves from pans, brush tops of loaves with 2 tablespoons honey and sprinkle with oats.

Serve warm with sweet cinnamon butter.

Sweet Cinnamon Butter
Butter (I buy the one made from yogurt), a drizzle of honey, and a bit of cinnamon, all whipped in the food processor.