Amish Bread Recipe

With all the snow that’s been falling, I had a chance to make some homemade bread. Truth be known, maybe I just wanted to punch some dough because we were all stranded in the house, again, with no end to it in sight. For whatever reason, it got me to thinking how easy it was to pop two loaves of these out in no time. I mean, when you think about the foods you purchase in the stores, you can’t assume what’s in the ingredients is all good for you. With this recipe, it’s pretty clear to see there’s only 6 things; one of them being water. Plus, after it’s baked and cooling on the rack, you look like you just performed some kind of huge deal. In secret, it took no longer than fifteen minutes of your time and brain power. The rest is rising and baking. So enjoy! And, don’t be intimidated by the whole kneading, and rising of it. It’s the most simple thing you’ll bake.

• 2 c. warm water (110 degrees F)
• 2/3 c white sugar
• 1 1/2 TBsp active dry yeast
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 c vegetable oil
• 6 c bread flour

In a large bowl, dissolve sugar in warm water. (I used a thermometer for getting the precise temp) Stir in yeast and let it set until foamy (about 10 minutes). Mix in salt, and oil. Measure and add flour, one cup at a time. Mix in bowl a bit before placing it on a floured surface. Knead it until smooth. Oil a medium size bowl (I use the spray kind) and add bread, turning it over to coat. Place a damp cloth over and place in a draft-free place to rise for an hour. It should double in size by this time. Uncover and punch down dough. Place it on surface and divide into two halves. Place each half in a greased 9×5 loaf pan and shape into a loaf. Cover them again and let rise 30 minutes or until they’re about one inch over the top of pans. Bake in oven at 350 degrees for thirty minutes. Now, sit back and enjoy the aroma coming from the oven. Invite a few people over at this point to impress them with your culinary skills. When the buzzer goes off, retrieve them from the oven, pop them out on a cooling rack, get your butter knife ready and slice for pure perfection. I still can’t believe I can pull off such a tasty trick!