I have to give credit where credit is due, this recipe isn't something I came up with, not even close. Wifey (aka TOR's wife) on TSLRF gave it to me, and I'm eternally grateful. As I said, I've never been overly impressed with homemade bread in general, and I usually screw up a recipe (at least in the baking category) once before I get it right, or even close. This one I'm 95% sure I screwed up somehow and it still turned out just fine. The only thing I noticed was that I didn't seem to get a full rise the second time, but maybe I'm just using bigger loaf pans, I don't know. I'll throw the recipe in the comments section.
The Boy and I got through an alright amount of bread a week, but we really don't use that much so I'm pawning my second loaf off on our neighbors. They are a newly-wed couple and I've known the man of the new two-some for many, many moons. They also received the first 3 pints of jam I gave anyone. Apparently May (the wife) was a bit worried that I'm giving them all these spoils and they don't have anything to give in return. I assured David (the hubby) that if nothing else, they were my guinea pigs so it wasn't a big deal.
I'm posting this complete with the notes Wifey added herself. They helped me immensely so it's only fair to pass them along.
ReplyDelete-2 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
-1/3 cup white sugar
-1 1/2 tablespoons active dry yeast
-1 1/2 teaspoons salt
-1/4 cup vegetable oil
-6 cups bread flour
In a large bowl, dissolve the sugar in warm water, and then stir in yeast. Allow to proof until yeast resembles a creamy foam (at least 5 minutes)
Mix salt and oil into the yeast. Mix in flour one cup at a time. Knead dough on a lightly floured surface until smooth. Place in a well oiled bowl (I use Pam spray so it doesn't get super oily) and turn dough to coat (This keeps it from drying out when it rises, without oil it cracks). Cover with a damp cloth. Allow to rise until doubled in bulk, at least 1 hour. I usually run errands at this point, you can let it rise up to 2 1/2 hours.
Punch dough down. Knead for a few minutes, and divide in half. Shape into loaves, and place into two well oiled 9x5 inch loaf pans. Allow to rise for 30 minutes, or until dough has risen 1 inch above pans.
Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 30 minutes.
Yay! Looks perfect!
ReplyDelete