In an effort to be more self-sufficient and cost-conscious, I have recently returned to making my own bread, a task I haven’t undertaken in quite some time. But back when my four children were all at home, it was my habit to make six loaves of bread every Saturday to get us through the week.

Years ago, I came upon this beautiful bread at Kripalu in the Berkshires, and I was able to get the recipe for it. All the food provided there was stellar, but this bread, toasted and slathered in fresh-made peanut butter, is especially memorable as it was my late-night snack during that four-day retreat.

Let’s break this down — millet, an ingredient that lends bit of texture to the bread — can be found in the bulk section at the health food store, or look for Bob’s Red Mill at your local grocery store or Renys.

For the sweetener, you can use honey or maple syrup instead of sugar if you’d rather, and any mild-tasting oil can also be used if you don’t use canola oil.

Depending on the weather and humidity, you may need to add more flour than the recipe calls for. It will be quite sticky to start with, but after 5 minutes of kneading it, it will be less so. If it’s still too sticky, add 1/8 cup of either white or wheat flour, or a combination of both. The important thing is not to overdo it with extra flour as you don’t want your bread to be dry.

If you’re a novice when it comes to bread-baking and aren’t sure if the dough has risen properly, lightly press your finger into it. If the dough springs back slightly, it can rise more. If nothing happens, the dough is ready for its next rising or for baking. If the dough falls slightly, it has risen too long. This can be corrected after the first rising, but not after the second, so do this finger test sooner rather than later.

Make the time to embrace this process. Put on some soothing music and begin. You’ll be the better for it.

Earth Bread

• 1/3 cup millet, with water to cover
• 1/4 cup raw sunflower seeds
• 1/4 cup raw pumpkin seeds
• 1/4 cup white sesame seeds
• 2 1/2 cups warm (110-110 degrees) water
• 1 tablespoon active dry yeast
• 2 1/2 tablespoons sugar
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 2 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 3/4 cups unbleached white flour
• 1 tablespoon salt

In a small bowl, soak the millet in just enough water to cover for at least 15 minutes, then drain and set aside.

In another small bowl, combine all the seeds and set aside.

Combine warm water with yeast. Stir in sugar and allow the mixture to set for about 5 minutes or until a foam head appears.

Stir in oil, half the flour and salt. Stir in the remainder of the flour. Let stand for 10 minutes. Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface for 5 minutes.

Add the millet and other seeds to the dough and knead them in for another 5 minutes.

Shape the dough into a ball, place in a large, lightly oiled bowl, and cover with a clean towel. Allow to rise in a warm place for 1 hour, until doubled in size.

Punch down the dough, reshape into a ball, cover with the towel and allow to rise for 30 minutes.

Place the dough back on the floured surface, divide it in half and gently roll each half out into a rectangle with a rolling pin. Roll each half of the dough (short end to short end) into a loaf shape, tucking the edges under. Place each loaf into a well-oiled 9-by-5-by-3-inch glass loaf pan and return to a warm place to rise, covered with the towel, for another 20-30 minutes or until the dough has risen about 1 inch above the rim of the pans.

Place the loaves into a 375-degree, preheated oven and bake for 35-45 minutes. The loaves should be golden brown on the tops and bottom and sound hollow when tapped on the tops.

Rub butter on the tops of the loaves and allow to cool on wire racks for 20 minutes. Run a knife around the edges of the pans and turn the bread out on the racks to finish cooling. Yield: 2 loaves

Karen Schneider cooks and writes in the village of Cundy’s Harbor. You can reach her at iwrite33@comcast.net.