Yeast bread can be made from white, unbleached or wholewheat flour.
- 3/4 cup hot water
- 2 tablespoon yeast
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 8 – 10 cups white or wholewheat flour
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 2-2/3 cup hot water
In a small bowl add 3/4 cup hot water. You want the water just hot enough that you can keep your hand under it. Any hotter than this will kill the culture in the yeast and your bread will not rise. Add the sugar and yeast, mix, cover and let stand 10 minutes.
In a large mixing bowl add 5 cups of flour, salt, water (again just hot enough to keep your hand under it), oil, and yeast mixture. Mix thoroughly with a fork or spoon. Now add 3 more cups of flour and start mixing with your hands. Don’t get nervous, it takes about 10 minutes before everything starts coming together. It should all be quite sticky at this point. Keep mixing. The dough should start cleaning the sides of the bowl and become much more pliable. If it is still sticky add a 1/2 cup of floor at a time until you get the desired consistancy. At this point you can put the dough on a lightly floured table to knead. When the dough feels soft and silky to the touch it is ready. Grease your bowl and put the dough in to rise. Lightly grease the top of the dough and cover with a damp cloth for one hour.
Prepare 3 loaf pans by greasing them lightly. Using your fist punch down the dough. Divide into three equal portions. Again flour the table lightly. Try not to add to much flour as it will make your bread dry. Knead each portion and shape into oblong loaves. Put into greased pans. If you have a problem with the shaping you can always use a rolling pin. Roll each section out to get the air pockets out. Roll it up and tuck the ends underneath. Grease the top of the loaves and then cover with a damp cloth. Let rise 1 hour or until bread is about 2 inches above the pans.
Oven should be at 375′ F and racks should be one notch below center in your oven. Bake for 30 minutes. Bread should be golden brown and it should sound hollow when you tap it with your fingers. Remove bread from oven to cooling racks. For a softer crust brush lightly with butter. Remove bread from pans and let cool before slicing. If bread sticks, run a knife around the pan to loosen.
Enjoy
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