Bread

We have been on a real bread making kick here lately.  Until recently, the only bread I’ve been able to make is Irish soda bread.   I’ll admit, I was afraid of yeast breads.  Lately, I have decided to conquer my fear of the yeast and we have been makin’ bread like crazy around here!   it’s a great activity with toddlers, they love to touch the flour and dough and really enjoy getting messy (Toddler aprons are another project I’m trying to get around to, more on that another day). 

I’m still trying to find a light whole wheat bread, but everything I’ve tried has been pretty heavy.   However, I found this white bread recipe and adjusted it a little, and it has turned out wonderfully every time.   This week, we had slow cooker pork barbecue sandwiches with homemade buns.   Delicious!  Here’s the recipe…

2 (.25 ounce) packages active dry yeast
3 tablespoons white sugar
2 1/2 cups warm water (110 degrees F)
3 tablespoons margerine, softened  (the original recipe called for lard, and you could also use butter, I suppose.)
1 tablespoon salt
6 1/2 cups bread flour

1.  In a large bowl, dissolve yeast and sugar in warm water. Stir in lard, salt and two cups of the flour. Stir in the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, beating well after each addition. When the dough has pulled together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes.
2.  Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.
3.  Deflate the dough and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide the dough into equal pieces and form into buns.  Cover the buns with a damp cloth and let rise until doubled in volume, about 40 minutes.  (You could place in bread pans at this point, let rise, and voila! White bread!)
4. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
4. Bake at 375 degrees F for about 20 minutes or until the tops are light golden brown.

Enjoy!