Why is it that homemade bread gets people’s attention? Could it be the fragrance when you step inside the door? Could it be the look of the beautifully buttered brown top? Could it be that of the 4 food groups, it is at the very top of the pyramid? (It is for me, anyway………….you know…………….WAY UP ON TOP!)
As long as I can remember, I have had an addiction for homemade bread. It is absolutely incredible fresh out of the oven, slathered in butter. You just can’t beat it toasted with cinnamon and sugar on top, or a big dollop of your favorite jam. Mine would be black raspberry. Dipping a slice topped with cheese into my bowl of chili soup makes everything better. And for a sandwich…..well, let’s see…..my top pick would be warm roast beef, right out of the oven.
Yes, homemade bread is so versatile. The cost is practically nothing. Interesting, huh. So…..why don’t I make the wonderfulness more often?? Shhhh! Because I can’t seem to leave it alone. One slice just leads to another…..especially when there’s butter in the house. 🙂
- 2 pkg active dry yeast
- ¼ C warm water about 105 degrees
- 2⅔ C warm water
- ¼ C sugar
- 1 T salt
- 3 T shortening, melted
- 9-10 C white all purpose flour
- In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in ¾ C warm water. Stir in 2⅔ C warm water, sugar, salt, shortening and 5 C flour. Bet til smooth. Mix in enough remaining flour to make dough easy to handle.
- Turn dough onto lightly floured board; knead until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes. Place in greased bowl, grease top and cover. Set in warm place.Let rise about an hour. Dough is ready if impression remains.
- Punch down dough, cut in half with a knife. Roll out with a rolling pin into two rectangles about 18x9 inches. Beginning with shorter end, roll up, then tuck ends under. Place in greased loaf pans. Cover. Let rise again, about an hour. Bake for approximate 30 minutes. Remove from pans and brush butter on top of loaves. Cool on wire rack. Serve any way you wish! 🙂
Homemade bread is the best! Hope you carve out a few hours and bake soon. It’s rewarding to stir, knead, roll, bake and watch the loaves quickly disappear.
Enjoy!
To bake the white bread, what oven temp is needed???