White Bread

This is our favorite bread recipe to date {I have no idea why it's called "Amish White Bread" ... maybe it's a favorite in Amish communities, I don't know}. It’s so simple – which I absolutely love – and it has a fantastic flavor. I will include my thoughts throughout the recipe instructions and then for convenience sake {and those of you who don’t want my detailed instructions} I’ll include the recipe once more at the bottom of this post.
If you’re scared of making homemade bread, don’t be. Really, it’s not as bad as instructions may make it seem and pretty much anyone can do it. Really, all it takes is practice to get to where you feel like the bread you make is at your level of perfection. So keep trying! I’m positive you’ll enjoy the final product if you just give it a go, plus you’ll save money by not buying bread!
If you want to practice but don’t want to make two loaves in case it doesn’t turn out the way you want, just make one. I’m including the modified version of the ingredients list to make just one loaf {all directions will be the same, excepting the dividing of the dough into two loaves – just form one loaf instead}.
Enjoy!

Amish White Bread
Allrecipes.com

Ingredients:

• 2 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)

• o – for this, I usually just turn the tap on to hot and let it run until it is warm enough that I can hold my hand under it for a couple of seconds since I don’t have a thermometer. It is imperative that your water is neither too hot nor cold because if it is, the yeast will not activate the way it needs to make the bread rise

• 2/3 cup white sugar
• 1-1/2 Tbsp. active dry yeast
• 1-1/2 tsp. salt
• ¼ cup vegetable oil
• o – I’ve been using canola oil and it’s worked perfectly every time.
• 6 cups bread flour

Directions:
1. In a large bowl, dissolve the sugar in warm water, and then stir in yeast. Allow to proof until yeast resembles a creamy foam.

This is called “proofing yeast”, which basically means that you put the necessary ingredients into the bowl, mix them as best you can and then wait 5-10 minutes while the yeast activates. You will know that the yeast is good {or also that your water wasn’t too hot} if within 5 minutes the mixture is nice and foamy. If it’s not, you can always try again to make sure the water wasn’t too hot/cold to begin with. I always just wait 5 minutes as that is usually the perfect amount of time.

2. Mix salt and oil into the yeast. Mix in flour one cup at a time.
3. Knead dough on a lightly floured surface until smooth.

This is what you have to start doing once the dough gets too hard to stir in the bowl anymore. I use my kitchen aid to do all the kneading for me but hand kneading is really not difficult. Just make sure that the table/surface and your hands are both well floured. I’m not a huge fan of the term “lightly floured” when referring to bread, especially if it’s still in the very sticky stages. You don’t have to worry about using too much flour as long as you use flour that would be measured into the bread anyway {for example, you need six cups – say you’ve put in four and want to begin hand kneading. Pour half a cup of flour onto the table and spread it around just a little, and then the other half cup can go directly into the dough. All the flour that is on the table {and will end up in the dough} is flour that is supposed to be there anyway}. Once your surface and hands are well floured, turn the dough onto the surface and, using the heel of your hand, begin pressing the dough into the flour, turning the dough over and around every couple of times you “knead” it with your hands. You’ll get the hang of it {sorry I don’t have any pictures of this process – as I said, I always use my kitchen aid and I would have liked to have picture directions for you but it’s really hard to take pictures and knead dough at the same time … if you still need help figuring out how to do this process, let me know}. You’ll know the dough is ready because it gets really nice and smooth. It may be just barely sticky still and that’s okay.

4. Place in a well oiled bowl, and turn dough to coat.

This is a very important step. If you choose not to oil your bowl, the dough will stick to the bowl while rising and it will really be a pain to get out again. Just trust me: oil the bowl and make sure all the dough is lightly coated with the oil.

5. Cover with a damp cloth. Allow to rise until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.

Usually what I do is put the bowl with my dough on the stove top with the oven on. The heat from the oven helps the dough to rise really well, and in some cases, even quicker than the recommended amount of time. Of course, this does make your house really warm in the summer, but in these cold, winter months upon us, it’s really quite perfect for heating the place up without turning the heat on!

6. Punch dough down. {Yes really – just punch the dough down. This gets rid of all the air bubbles that accumulate in the dough while rising, which is good or you could end up with air pockets in your final product}.
7. Knead for a few minutes in a bit of oil {this eliminates the need to add extra flour, which you don’t really want to do}, and divide in half.

This kneading process is very important – if you don’t knead your bread enough it will be really crumbly and possibly create holes in the middle of the loaf when it’s finished. Honestly, I can’t tell you how to know that the dough has been kneaded enough. It’s really just a trial and error kind of thing. I usually knead the whole batch for about 3 minutes and then each loaf for another couple minutes afterward.

8. Shape into loaves, and place into two well oiled 9x5 inch loaf pans.

I’m sure you can use cooking spray to grease the loaf pans but I always just use oil – I already have it out because that’s what I’m using the keep the bread from sticking to the table and my hands anyway. And the oil is a genius idea – it really works well.

9. Allow to rise for 30 minutes, or until dough has risen 1 inch above pans.

For me, this can be anywhere from 30-40 minutes. I like my loaves to be nice and high when I cook them.

10. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 30 minutes.

Here’s a secret: if the bread is still doughy inside but certainly done on the outside, your oven was heated too high. The next time you do it, turn the temperature down about 25 degrees and it should help with that problem.

Another secret: if you like crusty bread, remove the loaves from the pans as soon possible {you really should let them sit for about 5 minutes and then make sure to run a butter knife around the edges before removing} and place on cooling racks. If you like the crust to be a little softer, you can leave the loaves in the pans a little longer {though you don’t want to leave them too long or they’ll be soggy – ich, soggy bread!} and brush the tops with butter. I don’t know why but melted butter softens the crust of the bread.

And there you have it: homemade bread! Congrats!





Amish White Bread
SUBMITTED BY: Peg
PREP TIME 20 Min
COOK TIME 40 Min
READY IN 2 Hrs 30 Min
Original recipe yield 2 - 9x5 inch loaves
NGREDIENTS
• 2 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
• 2/3 cup white sugar
• 1-1/2 Tbsp. active dry yeast
• 1-1/2 tsp. salt
• ¼ cup vegetable oil
• 6 cups bread flour

DIRECTIONS
1. In a large bowl, dissolve the sugar in warm water, and then stir in yeast. Allow to proof until yeast resembles a creamy foam.
2. 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, and turn dough to coat. Cover with a damp cloth. Allow to rise until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.
3. 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.
4. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 30 minutes.

Cut in Half:
Makes 1 loaf:
1. 1 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
2. 1/3 cup white sugar
3. 2-1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
4. 3/4 teaspoon salt
5. 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
6. 3 cups bread flour