How about a loaf of bread?

A woman in my office building has a kitty. She bought five bags of treats, but her cat won't touch the food. She thought of me and the Gang of Seven.....seems like whenever people think of cat people, my name always comes up! Anyway, she offered me the treats and I knew that, out of seven cats, at least one of them would want to scarf treats.

I brought them home and, sure enough, Tabby is our Treat Monster. They've all been eating the treats, but Tabby is the most vocal about them.

Anyway, I'm making bread today and I thought I'd give a loaf of homemade bread to the woman as a Thank You for thinking of the kids. Think that's OK? It's not tacky or anything? Should I make some cookies instead?

Not tacky at all! 

I make my own bread all the time and give it to people, they seem to appreciate it way more than cookies. 

I love it!  Just about anyone can make cookies.  Not many people can make good homemade bread.   YUM!!!!!!!!!

Kim

Home made bread is perfect!  I'd rather have that than cake, candy, etc.

Bread would be perfect!

When I worked on a hospital ward, we always appreciated any food gifts that patient's and/or family gave to us.  But the most special were breads and buns, because we didn't get those very often. And there is nothing liike homemade bread!

Bread is perfect. A lot of people don't eat sweets, but just about everybody can't resist homemade bread.

OMG   I love home made bread and if anyone gifted me a loaf I would be more than pleased.x

Homemade bread is a lovely gift. 

You can't beat homemade bread! So yummy.

She loves it! I made ciabatta bread yesterday (well I actually started the dough on Saturday) and got three loaves...1/2 of a loaf for us, the other half for my in-laws, a loaf for our freezer, and a loaf for the woman. She was amazed that I would even do that and went right back to the kitchen for a serrated knife to slice into the bread. She says it's just delicious. And she'll purposely buy me treats for my kids if I bake her another loaf!! Thanks for the advice!

Tacky?  No way!  Personally, I'd appreciate it very much.  Something that's made personally and with caring has far more value to me than something someone goes out and buys.  And personally, I'd much rather have bread than cookies.  But that's just me.  

There is a lady at work that will buy me supplies if I make her bread, it works out awesome! She usually just buys me a 22lb bag of flour once a month or so and I bring her in a loaf of bread every week, different kinds each time. 

I have a rye bread recipe that I just love. If anyone is interested in it I'll share

nerdrock said:

I have a rye bread recipe that I just love. If anyone is interested in it I'll share

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Oooooh yes please!! Rye bread is the best.

Yes, please! I just bought rye flour last night to make a loaf or two of pumpernickel-swirled bread. My co-worker's mom said she's so hungry for pumpernickel, so I thought I'd make a loaf for him to take to her.

I'm just off to work now, I'll post it when I get home just after dinner time. 

Here's my rye bread recipe. 

Honey Flax Rye Bread

Up to 4 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1/3 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar (you can use light, I just like dark better)

2 pkg active dry yeast 

2-3 tbsp flax seeds

1 1/2 tsp salt

2 cups warm water

2 tbsp vegetable oil

2 cups rye flour

a large glob of raw honey (this is maybe 2-3 tbsp or more? I never measure it, lol)

egg wash (1 egg white with ~1 tbsp water)

rye flakes

flax seeds

1. In large bowl combine 2 cups of all purpose flour, brown sugar, yeast, flax seeds and salt. Slowly add warm water, honey and oil. 

2. Add rye flour and stir. Slowly add the all purpose flour 1/2 cup at a time until dough doesn't stick to your hands too much. Turn onto floured surface and knead in more all purpose flour, 1/4 cup at a time, until you have a smooth and elastic dough. Let rest 10 minutes. 

3. Divide dough in half and shape into a ball. Flatten slightly (think country bread shape). Put on large baking sheet (greased if need be), cover and let rise 1 hour. 

4. With sharp knife, cut # on the top of the dough ball. Brush with egg wash and top with rye flakes and flax seeds, if desired. 

5. Bake at 400 degrees (F) for ~30 minutes, checking often. If tops are beginning to brown too much, tent with tin foil. 

6. Place on wire rack to cool. 

The cooking time REALLY varies. I make it all the time, sometimes it takes around 25 minutes, others 35. 

Thanks, Nerdrock! Copied and pasted! It sounds like a delicious bread. I like putting a bit of seeds on the tops of my loaves as a little something extra and crunchy. I have both light and dark brown sugar, and will use the dark, too, for more of a taste. Don't have raw honey, but I'll just plop in a good dollop of what I have on hand.

(Would you mind posting the recipe in the Breads section of The Recipe Exchange? That way, it won't get lost in the shuffle. Thank you!)

Yup, I can do that! 

Regular honey will probably be fine, I don't see why it wouldn't. I just use raw honey because it's what I always buy, I use it for my allergies and one of my dogs allergies as well. I think last time I made it I put close to 1/4 of a cup in there, lol. I also end up using almost 2 cups less of the regular flour than the recipe calls for, I find that kneading it in you use less than if you're using the recipe with a bread maker or stand mixer and, IMO, it tastes better. 

If you want to use caraway seeds, use about 1 tbsp instead of the 2-3 of flax seeds. They can be really overwhelming so you don't want to use too much. 

It makes really good sandwiches, I put some mayo, turkey, swiss on and toast or broil it in the oven/toaster over, then add a piece of lettuce. I also ate half a loaf with just some butter on it a few times when it came out of the over. It makes two loafs and it freezers or refrigerates really well. If I accidentally leave it uncovered on the counter and it goes stale, I use a food processor to make it into bread  crumbs and then just put them in a baggie in the freezer - so much better than store bought bread crumbs!

I make a fresh bread almost every morning. I alternate between Brown sugar cinnamon and cinnamon raisin, and at night I sometimes make a garlic loaf or a pepperoni and sausage bread with a tomato sauce dip. 

For St Paddy's I make Soda bread, and give one to all my friends. My father in law (RIP) told me my soda bread is the best he's ever had, and don;t tell my MIL. LOL!! I like to cook, I LOVE to bake. If you'd like to try my soda bread recipe, just ask!