Homemade Bread

It takes longer to read this recipe than it does to make the bread!

Ingredients

• 2 Cups Warm Water
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 Cup Sugar (heaping)
• 1/4 Cup vegetable oil
• 2 pkg dry yeast
• 6 Cups Flour

Instructions

1. In a large bowl mix together water and sugar.
2. Sprinkle yeast over top.
3. Let stand about 10 minutes.
4. Stir in 3 cups of flour.
5. Beat (by hand) until consistency of cake batter.
6. Scrape down sides of bowl.
7. Cover with clean damp cloth and let rise until double (when it has risen it’s called “sponge”)
8. Stir in salt and oil. When well mixed, add remaining flour.
9. Mix well and need on floured board until smooth and elastic, 3-5 mins
10. Place dough in large well oiled bowl and it over to bring greased side up.
11. Cover with damp cloth.
12. Let rise until doubled in bulk.(Poke with finger; if indention remains, its doubled.) about 1- 1/2 hours usually.
13. Punch down dough and turn over. Cover again.
14. Let rise until almost double (45mins - 1 hour)
15. Turn onto floured board.
16. Ct with sharp knife into loaves. Cover with cloth.
17. Let rest about 10 mins.
18. Knead about 2 mins and shape each loaf.
19. Put loaf into well oiled loaf pan (top side down) then turn to bring oiled side up.
20. With a fork pierce loaf about every inch or two, making sure that fork goes all the way to the bottom of the pan.
21. Cover with cloth.
22. Let rise until double and light
23. Place loaves (not letting pans touch) into preheated 350 oven.
24. Lay foil loosely over top of bread.
25. Bake about 25 mins.
26. Remove Foil and bake 3-5 more mins until light brown on top.
27. Remove from oven; turn loaves onto cooling racks.
28. Brush tops with butter lightly.
29. Makes 4 - 7 3/4x 3 5/8 x 2 1/4 loaves, 2 - 9x5x3 loaves, or 8 mini loaves.
30. Baking times may vary for different size loafs.