My first time making bread loaves ever and all 4 turned out perfect!
My kids devoured a whole loaf hot out of the oven. DELISH!
In a small bowl, combine:
- 2 Tbsp. Yeast
- 1 Tbsp. Sugar
- 1/2 cup Warm Water
Set this aside for the yeast to grow.
In a large* bowl, mix together:
- 4 cups HOT Water
- 1/3 cup Oil
- 1/3 cup Sugar
- 4-1/2 tsp. Salt
Then add:
- 6 cups Flour
Mix together well.
Now pour your yeast mixture into your large bowl with your flour mixture. Mix well.
Now add:
- 5-7 cups Flour {This entirely depends on the temperature, humidity, and atmosphere of your baking area – you want the dough firm, and just barely not sticky}
Knead for 5-8 minutes, until your dough is a nice firm ball. (*If you use a REALLY large bowl, you can knead right in your bowl with no need to dirty your countertop! Use one hand to rotate the bowl around and one hand to knead right inside your bowl)
Cover the dough, and let it rise until double (about an hour) and punch it down.
Let is rise again until it’s double.
Punch it down and divide into 4 equal balls. Roll each ball into a rectangle (about the width of your bread pan and 1 inch thick), then roll up the long way to make a loaf. Pinch the ends down. Place in a greased loaf pan, seam side down, and let rise about an hour and a half. Bake at 375* for 20-25 minutes. Optional: Butter the top of the loaves right when you pull them out of the oven. Enjoy!
{If you’re using dark bread pans, reduce your heat to 350* and bake for about 25 minutes.}
Makes 4 loaves.
