Fresh Bread, MMMMM

Hello there,

I have many, many hobbies and interest.  Stamping being #1!  But, my next interest is cooking.  I love to cook and I try to cook things from scratch.   So each week I make bread.  I use the same recipe for a loaf of bread as I do for hamburger buns and hot dog buns.  It just depends on the shape you make them into as to which one you are making.   There is just my darling, Russ and I here so we don’t go through bread very fast.  I put at least half of the bread that is baked in a freezer bag and into the freezer and pull it out as needed.  Believe me it is way cheaper to bake your own bread and you will know just what is in it (no preservatives!).  Bread thaws very quickly too.  Do you ever wonder how the bread you buy from the store can stay fresh feeling for a week and a half?  It’s a little scary to me to think of what chemicals are used to allow that.  Here is my recipe if you wish to try it.  🙂  Note:  you will want to use a mixer with a dough hook.

Basic White Bread

• 2 1/4 tsp. (1 package) active dry yeast
• 2 cups warm water, not hot
• 1 T. sugar
• 5 – 5 1/2 cups flour, I prefer bread flour
• 1 1/2 tsp. salt
• 2 T. Softened Butter

In your mixing bowl, combine the yeast, water, and sugar; let stand until bubbly, about 10 minutes.

Add 3 cups flower, salt and butter to the yeast mixture and beat at low speed with dough hook until incorporated.  Add 2 more cups of flour (total of 5 cups) and turn mixer up to medium speed.  The dough should come together if it is sticking to the bottom of the mixing bowl add an additional 1/2 cup of flour.  Mix dough for 7 minutes on medium speed.

Add a teaspoon of Olive Oil to a large mixing bowl and smear it all over the inside of the bowl with your hand (before washing your hand add olive oil to your lips for softness, lol).  Turn the dough out of the mixer bowl into your hand and make it into a ball, it should be just slightly sticky.  If to sticky to work with add just a dusting of flour.  Put the dough into the Olive Oil coated bowl and turn it so the Olive Oil gets on all sides of the dough ball.  Cover with a bread cloth or clean kitchen towel.  Put in a warm non-drafty area for 1 hour or until double in size.

For two loaves of bread, divid dough in half and make into loaf shapes and put in   greased bread pans.   For hamburger buns, make little 1 1/2 to 2″ dough balls and put on greased cookie sheet and pat the balls down flat.  Cover and rise bread 45 minutes or until double in size.

Bake loaves at 400 degrees for 25-30 minutes.  Buns pat them down a bit again and bake for 15 minutes.

Remove from oven and turn out onto a wire rack to cool  Immediately brush tops  with melted butter if desired.  Seriously, I just take a stick of butter and rub it on the tops of my bread, no mess or additional dishes.

After making this a couple of times you will make it without even looking a recipe.  🙂

WISHING YOU THE MOST AMAZING DAY!

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Check out the “stitching” the dies create on the “for you” layer!

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