Easy Loaf of Bread

I used this bread recipe for the first time today. The recipe makes only 1 loaf of bread. I decided to make two loaves but mixed them up separately.  I don't want to stress my electric mixer too much.  My mixer handles about 5 cups of flour.

The loaf on the right was mixed first so has been rising longer.

One loaf of bread will be for me and the other loaf for a friend I will be visiting on Tuesday.   This recipe is quite good so am going to make another loaf or two for an elderly friend and her neighbour soon.  I've been promising her that I will do that.

I've been looking for a great bread recipe for a long time and have tried many recipes.  I am usually disappointed by the size of the loaves. I like a more substantial loaf and a good, crusty top as well as a moist interior.  This one delivered on all the above.  The finished loaf has quite a strong taste of yeast. I may experiment with the amount of yeast for the next loaves.  After the loaves cooled I sliced them with my meat slicer and wrapped them in cellophane and tin foil before putting one in a big plastic bag for my friend.

The loaves came out nicely.  This time the first loaf I mixed is on the left.

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup warm water
• 1 package active dry yeast
• 1 tsp salt
• 1-1/2 tbsp sugar
• 1 tbsp vegetable shortening
• 1/2 cup milk
• 3 cups all-purpose flour, approximately. I used 2 cups white flour and 1 cup whole wheat.

Preparation:

1. Pour the lukewarm water into a large bowl and add the yeast while stirring. Add the sugar, salt, shortening and milk. Stir well.
2. Add 2 cups of flour and stir until dough is sticky. I mixed mine in an electric mixing bowl until it was well formed, then transferred it to the counter. Sprinkle your counter top with flour before you transfer the ball of dough.  If you need to you can add a few spoonfuls of flour to your dough in the bowl until you get a good consistency before turning it onto the counter.
3. Knead the flour until it is soft and yet firm. You don't want it too sticky. It should hold together well.
4. Once you have a good ball of dough, oil it with a few drops of oil and shape it.  Place it into a bowl, cover it and keep it in a warm place for 1 hour to rise.  I placed mine in the oven with the oven light turned on for a bit of warmth. Don't accidentally turn on the temperature if you decide to put your dough in the oven too.
5. After one hour, punch the dough down and turn it onto a floured counter to knead. Then form it into a loaf for your loaf pan.  Lightly oil the loaf pan and put your dough in the pan to rise for another 30 minutes.
6. Bake loaf in a preheated oven at 375 F for about 45 minutes or until the top is golden brown.  If you like you can make a few slashes at the top of your loaf for decorative effect. Once the loaf is baked I like to brush the top with a bit of butter. 

Note:  You will see that the loaf I mixed first is significantly larger than the second loaf.  I think this is for two reasons:  I let it rise longer and I also added about half a cup more flour. This is called Easy Bread because you just mix your wet ingredients all together and omit the step of letting the yeast "proof" and then you add the flour. However, I always like to prepare my yeast before I mix it with the other ingredients.  I started by adding the yeast to the water and sugar and letting it sit in a covered bowl for 10 minutes. Once it was all "foamy" I added all the other ingredients as per the recipe.  I meant to slash my dough but forgot at the last moment since I was also trying to watch the Oscar ceremonies and throw together some quick hamburger soup for dinner. Kudos to Lupita Nyong'o from Kenya via Mexico, for her stupendous win as supporting actress.

A quick hamburger soup always hits the spot when I am hungry.