With all these big life-changing decisions going on, I’ve been struggling to keep it together this week and I’m going through a mood that’s caused me to briefly lose my enthusiasm for cooking.

The menu has been the definition of lazy – rocket, straight from the pre-washed bag, Greek-style yogurt, trail mix, and peanut butter, spooned from the jar. There was also some less-than-spectacular takeout. 

Then, during a very much needed mid-week cleaning spree, I took a shot at cooking redemption and made homemade bread, which, I reasoned, would lead to sandwiches, which would be better than eating things straight from their packages.

This is the perfect bread to make while you are doing household chores because it makes almost no mess. All it really takes is time – the dough comes together before your eyes in the food processor. Just knead for a minute or so, and then it’s ready to rise. Throw it into a bowl, cover it, place it somewhere warm, and then get to work. Or, sit around and write the next great American novel, meditate, watch whole seasons of Gossip Girl online (not that I would ever do such a thing).

Come back in two hours, punch it back down, let it rest, fold it up, and let it rise again. Get back to whatever it was you were doing. Before you know it, the bread’s ready for the oven.

Using this homemade bread as the base will improve any sandwich – it the best thing since, uh, well, you know. It’s so soft and flavorful, and it holds up well without being too dry – it’s leagues above packaged bread. Next time I’m going to make a few loaves at once and freeze them. You have to try this. I mean it.

Sandwich Bread 
Adapted from How To Cook Everything: Simple Recipes for Great Food by Mark Bittman

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

2 cups all-purpose flour or bread flour, plus a little more for kneading

2 teaspoons salt

1 1/2 tablespoons instant yeast

2 tablespoons honey

2 tablespoons butter at room temperature, plus more for greasing the bowl and pan

1 1/3 cups cool milk (whole works best, 2% is also acceptable)

Optional: chopped fresh herbs. 

Place the flours in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Add the salt and yeast and process for five seconds. With the machine running, add the honey, butter, and milk through the feed tube. Process for about 30 seconds, then remove the cover. The dough should be a well-defined, barely sticky, easy-to-handle ball. If it is too dry (crumbly) add milk 1 tablespoon at a time, and process for 5 to 10 seconds after each addition. If the dough is too wet and sticky, add flour one tablespoon at a time and process for 5 to 10 seconds. Knead the bread for a minute or so.

Grease a large bowl with butter. Shape the dough into a ball, place it into the bowl, and cover with plastic wrap or a damp towel. Place it in a dark, warm place (I put it on top of my clothes dryer in a closet while I was doing laundry) and allow it to rise for two hours, until doubled in bulk. Deflate the ball and shape it once again into a ball and allow it to rest for 15 minutes, covered.

Using only enough flour to keep the dough from sticking to your hands or the work surface, flatten it into a rectangle then shape it into a loaf by: 1 – folding the sides of the rectangle inward, so their edges touch 2 – pinch the edges together, forming a “tent” 3 – flipping the dough over, pinched side down 4 – folding the edges under 5 – placing the dough pinched side down, into a greased 9×5 inch loaf pan. 6 – flatten dough into the pan using the back of your hand. 

Cover and let rest for 1 hour, or until the top of the dough is nearly level with the top of the pan.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Brush the top of the loaf with water, then place in the oven. Bake about 45 minutes, or until the bottom of the loaf sounds hollow when you tap it (it will fall easily from the loaf pan) or the internal temperature reads about 200 degrees F. Remove loaf fromthe pan and cool on a wire rack before slicing.