When my daughters were young and my husband and I still had our youthful metabolism, we could polish off a batch of my homemade bread in a day. Not anymore! Now that the kids are gone and we watch what we eat, we're not going through a batch of bread as quickly. I briefly stopped making bread, but I missed the freshly baked smell and its heavenly taste.

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What I've come to realize is that the same dough recipe that worked for my family of four still works for the two of us. Instead of baking one big loaf of bread, I now divide the dough into smaller portions. I might bake a couple of mini loaves for breakfast, a few dinner rolls for tomorrow's soup and a couple of breadsticks for salads later in the week. And while I'm at it I stretch out a few naan breads that double as personal-size pizza crusts.

Plastic-wrapped, the baked breads freeze well and stay fresh. Plus these smaller shapes are easy to pop in our toaster oven, a useful appliance now that it's just the two of us.

Bread Baking Tips:

• Using a food processor to mix and knead dough saves time.
  
• Using a small amount of yeast means you can let the dough rise overnight and shape and bake it first thing in the morning.
• Make one big loaf if you like, but it's also possible to divide the dough and create a variety of breads for meals throughout the week. 
• For stretched dough shapes like naan and breadsticks, don't knead the risen dough before stretching. Simply dump it onto a floured surface and cut and stretch while it's relaxed. 

Next: Soft, tender American-style dough recipe. »