Amish White Bread

This is really easy and really delicious white bread.  It makes two loaves.  This is a good thing if you have company because homemade bread disappears faster than you can say "melt-in-your-mouth". Whats not to love a fresh piece of bread, still a little warm with a pat of butter melting all over it?

Also, I have made this bread with a combination of 2 cups wheat flour and 4 cups bread flour.  It takes a little longer to rise but it is definitely going to come out nice, so it is worth the wait.

Had to share this with you.  A really neat video I just saw.

Amish White Bread

2 cups water
2/3 cup sugar
1 ½ tablespoons instant yeast
1 ½ teaspoons salt
¼ cup oil
6 cups bread flour*

In a mixer (or a bowl, combine yeast flour, sugar and salt.  Do not sit the yeast next to the salt though. Mix it altogether.  Add in the oil and the water, all at once.  Mix in the mixer for about five minutes. Knead by hand if you are not using a mixer.  Place the dough ball in a bowl with a little oil in it. You place the ball in the bowl and then flip it over.  The oil coating helps so that  the top of the bread does not dry. Cover, let rise, one hour.

Remove from bowl and divide into two equal pieces.  Place in loaf pans (8 x 5).  I kind of form the dough into a tube.  I don't handle it too much to protect some of the rise I have already achieved. Let rise again, covered for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven before the end of the second rise to 350°F.  Place loaves in oven and bake for about 30 minutes.  You want the bread to be golden.  190-200°F internally.  A meat thermometer works really well for this.

*You can substitute 1 cup of regular flour with 1 tablespoon of wheat gluten.  What differentiates bread flour from regular flour is a higher gluten content.