If you know me at all, you know that I love making homemade bread. I have been trying many different recipes over the past few years. This week I decided to make this "Amish" white bread recipe.
I actually grew up in an area in southwestern New York that has a significant Amish community. So, it seemed like a win-win from my perspective as I know them to be excellent bakers.
2 cups warm water (around 110°F)
⅓ cup granulated sugar (67g)
2 Tablespoons honey
1 ½ Tablespoons active dry yeast
¼ cup vegetable or canola oil
1 ½ teaspoons salt
5 ½ to 6 cups bread flour, scooped & leveled (846g)
2 Tablespoons salted butter, for brushing on top of the finished loaves (optional)
Combine the warm water, honey, sugar, and yeast in a bowl and let the yeast proof until foamy, about 5 - 10 minutes.
Once the yeast has been proofed pour it into your stand mixer, then add the oil, salt, and 2 cups of flour and mix on low until combined.
Continue adding the rest of the flour one cup at a time, on medium speed with your dough hook. It will take about 5 minutes or so for the dough to become smooth and pull away from the sides of the bowl.
Transfer the dough to a large greased bowl, and turn the bread dough over once to coat it lightly in the oil. Cover with plastic wrap and let the dough rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
Once the dough has doubled in size, punch it down with your fist a few times, then divide the dough in half.
Shape your dough into loaves and place it into the prepared pans.
Cover the bread tins with a dish towel and let them rise for another 45 minutes or until the dough is one inch above the tin.
Bake your bread in a preheated 350° F. oven for approximately 30 minutes or until it is lightly brown. You can also test for doneness by thumping the top of the loaf and it will create a hollow sound.
Let the bread rest in the tins for a few minutes and then place them on a rack to cool well before slicing. If you choose to you can brush the tops with butter after removing them from the pans.
Can you smell the wonderful aroma of the fresh-baked bread just out of the oven? It was awesome, especially on this cold, wintery day. It was very hard not to cut into the bread right away, but I managed to restrain myself.
I hope you enjoyed today's bread post and will decide to bake some homemade bread for yourself.
Recipe Source
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