For years and years and years i baked bread every weekend, then for some reason long forgotten by me, i stopped. Having recently started again. Quite sure that it because baking warms up the kitchen and that in turn warms up the house, and that warms up the heart. Well, it has kinda worked out that way.
This recipe was in a book, no not a cookbook, that i bought at the Library's Yard Sale a few years ago. Whoever penned this recipe, thank you so much !!!!
- 2 cups warm water (105-115 degrees)
- 1 Tablespoons active dry yeast
- 1/4 cup honey or sugar
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 2 Tablespoons oil canola or vegetable, or even melted butter😉
- 4 - 5 1/2 cups all-purpose or bread flour
- In a large bowl or stand mixer add the yeast, water and a pinch of the sugar or honey. Allow to rest for 5-10 minutes until foaming and bubbly. (This is called “proofing” the yeast, to make sure it is active. If it doesn’t foam, the yeast is no good, and you need to start over with fresh yeast).
- Add remaining sugar or honey, salt, oil, and 3 cups of flour. Mix to combine.
Add
another cup of flour and mix to combine. With the mixer running add
more flour, ½ cup at a time, until the dough begins to pull away from
the sides of the bowl. The dough should be smooth and elastic, and
slightly stick to a clean finger, but not be overly sticky. Add a little
more flour, if needed.3. Mix the dough for 4-5 minutes on medium speed (or knead with your hands on a lightly floured surface, for 5-8 minutes)4. First rise. Grease a large bowl with oil or cooking spray and place the dough
inside, turning to coat. Cover with a dish towel or plastic wrap and
allow to rise in a warm place* until doubled in size, about 1 ½ hours5. Spray
two 9x5'' bread pans generously with cooking spray on all sides. (I
also like to line the bottom of the pans with a small piece of parchment
paper, but this is optional.)Punch
the dough down well to remove air bubbles. Divide into two equal
portions. Shape each ball into long logs and place into greased loaf
pans.6. Second rise Cover pans with a lightweight, dry dish towel (or spray two pieces of
plastic wrap generously with cooking spray and lay them gently over the
pans). Allow dough to rise again for about 45 minutes to one hour, or
until risen about 1 inch above the loaf pans. Gently removing covering.10. Bake Preheat oven to 350 F. Bake bread for about 30-33 minutes, or until
golden brown on top. Give the top of a loaf a gentle tap; it should
sound hollow. Invert the loaves onto a wire cooling rack. Brush the tops with butter and allow to cool for at least 10 minutes
