Yummy Bread!

I had a lot of comments yesterday about my facebook post with a picture of the bread I made for dinner. So, I thought I would share the recipe for anyone interested in trying it out. It's called Amish White Bread and it's absolutely the most amazing bread you have ever tasted and heaven for a bread lover (like me!) Making bread doesn't ever sound easy, but I promise you, this loaf is easy! It really has only about 5 minutes of hands on time - that is broken up into 1-2 minute segments. It's the perfect "toddler bread" meaning you can chase babies around while making it!

We have it for breakfast, lunch and dinner! One word of warning, it is a little on the sweet side ( for those of you who make bread a lot and know the normal ingredients, this one has A LOT of sugar), so don't plan on it going well with a really savory dish. I reserve it for sweeter type meals - like pulled pork sandwiches. But, because of the sweetness, it makes an excellent morning bread and delicious for french toast. The bread is very dense, and as long as you wait until it's cool before you slice it, it makes a decent piece of bread for a sandwich - it's going to be a thick slice though!

This recipe makes two large loaves - I normally split the recipe in half because I only have one loaf pan. However, well wrapped, this bread freezes really well.

Ingredients -

2 cups warm water (I've found the yeast proofs better with water that feels hot- not burning - but hot)

2/3 cup white sugar

1 1/2 TBSP active dry yeast (this is equal to two yeast packets, one packet if you make half the recipe)

1 1/2 tsp salt

1/4 cup vegetable oil

6 cups bread flour

In a large bowl, dissolve the sugar in the warm water. (I normally use a whisk) Stir in yeast. (I normally just sprinkle it on top and don't stir it in). Allow yeast to proof. (it will look like a brown creamy foam - normally takes 5-10 mins depending on water temperature)

Mix in salt and oil. (I normally whisk it in). Add flour one cup at a time. Move onto floured surface and knead for 2 minutes. (It's done when dough looks smooth and all the chunks are mixed in - normally only takes 2 mins or less). Place in a well oiled bowl and turn to coat dough. (I spray a bowl with cooking spray, put the dough in, and spray the top of the dough with cooking spray...easier and less calories). Cover with a damp cloth. (I prefer to cover with saran wrap - tightly - rises better). Allow to rise until doubled in bulk - about 1 hour. (I normally turn my oven on to 400-450 degrees and place the bowl on one of the back burners. This creates a very warm environment for the dough to rise, and it never takes longer than the 1 hour).

Punch dough down. Knead for a few minutes, and divide in half. (I normally knead for less than one minute). Shape into loaves and place into two well oiled 9x5 loaf pans. (Again, I use cooking spray, not oil. If you want the loaves to be really smooth looking on top after cooking, you have to smooth them out now when you shape them. If you want it to look like mine, more rustic, just stretch it to fit the pan and plop it in.) Allow to rise 30 mins or until loaf has risen 1in above pans. If you use the same trick on your back burner on your oven, it doesn't take more than 30 mins and mine are never normally 1 in above the pan - I think it depends on the height of your pan - mine is large. I always use a stone loaf pan, gives the best result, I think).

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. (I have always cooked it for 30 minutes on the dot - in both of my last two ovens - and it comes out perfect). (Let cool for about 10-20 mins and turn out of pan to cool on wire rack. The bottom will get soggy if you leave it in the pan too long.)