Our Daily Bread

Our family started eating only home made breads just over two months ago.  We are still going strong and I wanted to share my favorite recipe with you.  This is what we eat for our every day, all-purpose bread.  I use the same recipe, but alternate using whole wheat flour, or white flour.  It tastes great both ways.  The kids actually prefer whole wheat, but my husband loves his white bread, so I've made an exception.  I have even mixed different types of flour together when we're running low, and it still turns out great.  This recipe, of course, comes from  my Bread Cookbook that I posted about previously.  The book automatically flips open to this page, now that I've baked approximately 40 loaves of this particular bread recipe.  

 Delicious White Bread!  

QUICK AND EASY WHITE BREAD (or whole wheat)

2 packages dry granular yeast (or 4 1/2 tsp. if using a jar)

1/3 cup lukewarm water

2 teaspoons sugar

2 cups scalded milk

2 tablespoons sugar or honey

2 teaspoons salt

1 tablespoon instant mashed potato mix, mixed with

1/4 cup lukewarm water

2 tablespoons soft butter

6 cups unbleached white flour (you can substitute whole wheat flour, just use a bit less)

melted butter

Dissolve yeast in lukewarm water, add 2 teaspoons sugar; stir.  Cover and set aside until foaming and doubled in volume.  In a large mixing bowl combine the milk, sugar, salt, instant mashed potato mix dissolved in lukewarm water, and butter.  Mix well.  Cool to lukewarm.  Add yeast mixture and 2 cups flour and beat until the batter is smooth.  Add 2 more cups of flour, beating well, then just enough flour to make a soft but firm dough.  Turn out onto a lightly floured board and knead for 10 minutes until smooth and elastic.  Shape into a ball and place in a warm, well-greased bowl, turning the dough to grease top.  Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk (about 1 to 1 1/2 hours).  Punch down.  Divide dough in half and shape into two smooth balls Let rest 10 minutes.  Shape into two loaves.  Place in greased and lightly floured 8- or 9- inch bread pans.  Cover and let rise again until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.  Brush tops with warm melted butter.  Bake in a 400 F. oven for 25 minutes, reduce heat to 375 F and continue to bake until the loaves are golden brown and test done.  Cool on wire racks.  

IMPORTANT TIPS:  I only bake my loaves at 400 for 13 minutes, and then at 375 for an additional 8 to 10 minutes.  My oven tends to be super hot and bake things quicker than necessary so there was some trial and error involved with figuring out these baking times.  

Also, make sure the melted butter you brush on the loaves before baking is not too hot.  This will totally sabotage all the rising the bread has done and your loaves will shrivel and flatten.  Not a pretty sight.

Same recipe, but with Whole Wheat Flour!

Don't let the name of the bread recipe fool you.  It is not "quick" by any means.  It takes between 4 to 5 hours from start to finish.  But it is worth it.  Please try it out and let me know what you think!

MOTHER TESTED, KID APPROVED!!!

My beautiful Phoebe JoLee on one of our "early morning bread days".  

Getting straight to work.  No time for a hairbrush.