One Batch of Bread, Three Ways

Lately I have been using the same bread recipe over and over. I love that one batch makes enough dough to give me several options, so I can use it in different ways throughout the week. This time, I turned one batch of dough into three different bakes.

I made two standard loaves, six hamburger buns, and still had some dough leftover.

Since I didn’t really need sandwich bread at the moment, I put both loaves in the freezer. I then turned part of the leftover dough into hamburger and sandwich buns for the weekend. A couple of days later, I used the last of the dough to make a small loaf, which turned out to be the perfect size to share with my grandchildren.

This is one of the things I like about making a large batch of dough. I don’t have to decide ahead of time exactly what every bit of it is going to become.

Some weeks I make loaves. Other times I make rolls or hamburger buns. If I have enough leftover dough, I might turn it into something a little different.

It makes homemade bread feel much more practical in my kitchen. I am not making several separate recipes. I am starting with one batch of dough and finding different ways to use it throughout the week.

And sometimes the best use for the leftover dough is something I didn’t plan at all.

This week, it became a small loaf that was just the right size to share with my grandchildren.