Whether the pandemic has been weighing on you or it’s been a stressful week, I find that having a task to distract my mind while physically letting off some steam makes a big difference! Bread baking is not only relaxing, your home will smell great and you’ll have fresh bread for every meal. This recipe has been in family for generations and I hope you find it just as tasty and fun to make as I do!
• 1 pack rapid rise yeast
• 1 pack regular yeast – both types of yeast can be found in the baking aisle of any grocery store, I use Kroger brand
• 5 lbs. all-purpose flour
• ½ cup sugar
• 2 tbsp. salt
• ¼ cup oil – the dough takes this amount, you will end up using about another half bottle, I use vegetable oil
- Pour flour into a large stainless-steel bowl, reserving 2-3 cups to the side for kneading.
- Add sugar and salt to the flour and combine well.
- In a separate bowl, combine both packs of yeast with a cup of warm water until completely dissolved.
- Add oil and yeast water into flour mixture and combine.
- Add water to the mixture little by little until a sticky, dough-like texture is achieved.
- Pour some flour onto your countertop, dump dough onto the flour, and knead until the stickiness is gone.
- Using more oil, grease the inside of your stainless-steel bowl. You’ll want to use a good bit to make sure the dough does not stick.
- Put the dough back inside the bowl, grease the top of the dough, and cover to let rise. The warmer it is in your kitchen, the faster the dough will rise.
- Once the dough has doubled in size (usually a few hours later), flour your countertop again and knead your dough out on top of it. When the dough is no longer sticky, place it back inside your greased bowl, cover and let rise again.
- You’ll allow your dough to rise 3 times total. After you have kneaded your dough for the third time, cut it into sections.
- With each section, tuck the sides backwards into its middle. The result should be log-shaped dough. Put each log into your bread pans. The pans should be (you guessed it) well oiled.
- Allow the dough to rise one more time in the bread pans before baking at 350 degrees for 30 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown. You do not need to let the dough rise as long the final time, only until the loaves are your desired size.
- Once the bread is baked and mostly cooled, you can butter the tops of the loaves if desired. As the bread cools completely, the butter will melt and soak into the tops of the bread.
- Slice and eat!