It was a tradition in our house when I was a child to eat fresh home made bread, ham and hot sauce on Christmas mornings. Even though I am older with a family of my own, I still go to my mom’s house on Christmas mornings to continue that tradition and accept my presents.
Making bread gives me great joy and a sense of accomplishment and I make it frequently for my family. It is a great substitute for the store bought bread which contains preservatives and additives.
4tablespoonsbutterroom temperature (56.7 grams or 2 oz)
Instructions
ADD & COMBINE INGREDIENTS: 1. In a large mixingbowl combine 4 cups flour, sugar, salt, and yeast to evenly distribute all theingredients. Gradually add the water andbutter mixture, grab and squeeze to bring the dough together. Turn dough out onto a lightly flouredsurface.
KNEAD: Turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead for about 8-10 minutes by pressing with your knuckles to smoothen and folding the dough over itself and pushing out with the heel of your hands, not down. Rotate the dough and repeat. The dough is properly kneaded when it is smooth and you can stretch it without breaking.
NOTE: Resist the temptation to add too much flour to the dough at this point because you risk dry loaves. Knead to form a smooth, round ball. Coat with oil or butter (about 1 tbs) and place the dough back into the bowl.
PROOF: Cover with plastic wrap or wet kitchen towel and set in a warm place until the dough doubles, about 1-2 hours, depending on room temperature and type of yeast. [The dough is adequately risen when an indentation remains after the dough is pressed with two fingers.] To hasten the rising process, heat oven, turn off heat and place dough in warm (but not hot) oven.
SHAPE: When the dough has fully risen, turn out on a lightly floured work surface. Halve dough and press each dough gently into a 12 x 9 rectangle about 1 inch thick. Starting with the narrow edge, roll, pinch seams closed and turn ends under to make loaves to fit pans. Alternatively, make only one loaf (shape into a 12 x 12 square, roll up to form a log, seal ends and place in a 13.5 x 5.5. x3 inch pan).
SECOND PROOFING: Place the dough seam side down into the greased loaf pans, 9x5x3-inches. Cover with a barely damp paper towel or kitchen towel. Set pans in a warm place and let dough rise a second time until the top of the dough is nearly level with the top of the loaf pan, about 45 minutes to 1 hour depending on room temp and type of yeast.
BAKE: Bake loaves at 350° for 25 to 35 minutes, until crust is golden and loaves sound hollow when tapped with fingers.
EAT: Remove the bread from the pans to racks; brush with butter for a soft, more flavorful crust. Slice and serve hot with butter!
Video
Notes
TIPS:When tripling the recipe I measure 3 lbs of flour instead of measuring by cups and use 2 packets of yeast (11g each).If the water is too hot during the mixing/kneading process it will kill the yeast.If you have leftovers for some strange reason and wish to store the bread, wrap in foil then in a zip lock bag and place in freezer. I hear it will keep for a few months. To reheat, place it in a 450 degree oven still wrapped in foil for 10-15 minutes, then remove from foil and leave in the oven for a few more minutes....Bread never lasts past a day or two in my house, so I have never had to freeze.