The anticipation is over. I have a kitchen! The cabinets are in, the counter is installed. The walls are painted and the appliances are all up and running. The sink is ready for use and I am in here with apron on and wondering, 'What do I do now?' It has been so long, I seem to have forgotten what goes on in a kitchen. Well, I may be a bit rusty, but I am sure it will all come back to me once I get started on something. I think I will break this long episode of cooking deprivation with something I have missed dearly: homemade bread. I have shared this recipe with you before but it has been quite a while since then. I am leaving out a couple of ingredients this time that can be troublesome to find and not that important to the outcome of this recipe. This is the bread I use for sandwiches, toast and jam, French toast and so on. It makes a lot so I slice two loaves and put them into the freezer. I can then take out only the slices I will be using and the rest stay fresh. You can get both the untoasted wheat germ and the wheat bran at a great price at Good Earth.

Mix together 3 cups of the flour, the yeast, salt, wheat germ and bran. Add water, oil, honey and eggs and beat well to make a thick batter. Mix in more flour ½ cup at a time till dough is still a bit shaggy and just forms a ball. Cover and let rest for 15 minutes. Begin to knead the dough, adding flour as needed, until it is smooth, not too sticky and not dry either. Adding too much flour will make a dry loaf, so a stickier dough, though harder to work with, is better. Continue to knead until dough is smooth and elastic. It should feel almost alive in your hands. This should take about 5 to 8 minutes. Place in very large, warm, greased bowl. Cover and let rise till slightly more than double in bulk. Punch down and divide into 3 equal pieces. Roll each into a ball and let rest 5 minutes. Form into loaves and place in greased loaf pans. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise till doubled. Bake at 375 degrees for 35 to 45 minutes. Remove from pans immediately and place on racks to cool. Yield: 3 loaves.