Wednesday 1 February 2012

Bread

As stated in an earlier post, I like to make bread for my family. 
Here is a picture of two white loaves and two challa loaves.  The challa was fun to make and even more fun to weave with six strands.  I did hoped it would be a bit more dense, eggy and sweet than this was.  It was yummy and quick, but not what I was looking for I guess. 

 

 
I have not succeeded yet in finding a wholesome, nutritious bread recipe that works as well as this one does.  It is a white bread.  Gasp!  Yes, we love it and it gets great reviews from my family.  It freezes well, makes awesome toast, French Toast and sandwiches.  It doesn't stand up very well served in a hot sandwich (with gravy over it) but I have a strong aversion to soggy bread anyhow, always have, so that was not a requirement for me in an everyday bread recipe.

This recipe makes two loaves.  I have only recently begun doubling it and getting five loaves out of it.  An energy saver - both my energy and my oven!

I played with the recipe a bit, thinking it called for too much sugar but have since gone back to using the full 2/3 cup.  I have replaced the sugar with 1/2 cup of honey and it was okay too.  I have replaced up to a cup of flour with other grains (flax meal, wheat germ, oat bran, whatever is on-hand) and it has come out well, very well in fact.
I use my KitchenAid mixer to to most of the kneading.  I let the yeast proof in the mixer boal, add the oil, salt and six cups of the flour all at once (not what the recipe says) and let it go on level 2 for about six minutes.  Then, I take the dough out and knead it old-school.  I love this part, you can really feel it coming together and when it gets too tight and when it's a smooth dough you know you're going to have great bread.  I spray oil the mixer bowl (technically it's still dirty because I haven't washed it yet, but there's nothing in it or stuck to it) put the dough in it, grease the dough lightly, cover with a glass pot cover or plastic wrap.  I've heated the oven up for 1.5 minutes and the oven is off but slightly warm.  Rise for one hour, punch down, shape, rise in greased pans for about 30 minutes, heat oven up, bake 30 minutes (on the dot in my oven with my pans - my old dark bread pan requires five extra minutes to brown the crust), take out of pans immediately, let cool and eat.

Amish White Bread
2 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
2/3 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.               
-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.
-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.

You really should let it cool before you slice into it and slather it with salted butter or peanut butter or your Nanny's homemade jam (we're so spoiled).  If you cannot wait and must cut it open right away, turn the bread cut-side down on the cutting board until it is cool.  Bag it, freeze it, eat it.  SO GOOD!

Important tip when baking bread that I learned from my Mum is to take the bread out of the pan immediately after taking it out of the oven to keep the crust crisp and not soggy.  She used to butter the top of the bread right away too, but I find that messy to work with the loaves after the fact, so I don't do that.
 
Go buy some yeast and use it!  Tell me how it works out, I'd love to know!

7 comments:

  1. I would love to try this...need the quantities of everything. I've been told that people with 'O' blood type shouldn't eat wheat gluten although it's probably my No. 1 go-to food when I'm craving something.....what do you think about this?

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    1. Again, there's the recipe. Sorry.

      I have not researched blood-type diets though I am aware of a few people who have felt better following some of those suggestions. I feel I should say to consult with a specialist before making drastic changes to your diet, just seems like a good "cover my butt" way to answer your question.

      Blood types aside and celiac disease aside, many people have benefitted from reducing or omitting gluten from their diets as well, even if they don't think they have any specific symptoms to rid themselves of. They cut back, or take a break completely for a while and notice changes in their bodies. If you don't think gluten is your friend, you may want to stick with that and avoid it, you'll thank yourself. There are so many websites and cookbooks with fabulous ways to eat well and enjoy it while eliminating gluten. I have a family member that allows himself at special occassions to indulge but he does know he's going to pay for it later.

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  2. Hi Rana,

    I make all our bread, pita bread, tortillas, english muffins, etc etc but use only whole wheat flour. I proof my bread so it makes it "softer". I also use a bit of milk in my whole wheat bread which makes it nicer too. After eating whole wheat bread for so long I don't find white bread has much taste. Costco sells coarse whole wheat flour here and that's great for bread. Baking bread and yeast products is a great way to save money on groceries, especially with a big family. We also like cornbread, baked in the oven in a cast iron skillet (this is whole wheat as well), biscuits and scones.

    Maureen

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  3. You only use whole wheat? Not a combination? I proof my yeast too because that was how the first recipe that I tried that worked told me to do it and now it's a habit that I like, I don't know what the difference would be if I didn't but now I do. I wish we lived closer, but I can still learn from you from afar. In fact, I have made naan bread, chapattis, tortillas and hamburger buns since this summer and you were my inspiration. I'm working alone though and on a tight schedule so I don't have the pleasure of making 100 buns at a time to freeze, I have to take less time more often which in the end I'm sure means more time! Thanks for your comments!

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  4. Yep, all whole wheat although sometimes I use a bit of cooked oatmeal if I have it on hand. I tried using just raw oatmeal but I could taste the "raw" in the bread. If you were planning on switching to whole wheat I'd suggest you try it in increments until you are at 100%. That way the kids won't notice. The only thing about whole wheat flour is that it doesn't last as long. It's only good for a couple of months, at tops, unless you freeze it. I buy it in 20 kg bags so freeze a lot and also leave the rest downstairs in the "colder" room. It seems to keep okay that way too.

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  5. Good point about weeding the kids off the white! Just this morning I made some pancakes and used all whole wheat flour and they were really yummy and fluffy and everything I'd expect from a pancake. The Man was the one who noticed. "Are these healthy?" he said. I said yes. He said "They taste grainy." Ha ah! He eats well, really he does, but when I switch something okay for something all the way healthy, he mentions it! I have only bought it in the smaller bags so far to supplement the white flour so none has gone bad yet. I can freeze it as you say, thanks for the good idea!

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