Remember that beef stew from yesterday? Well, if you’re looking for something great to serve with it, look no further! I have the homemade bread recipe for YOU!
This homestyle white bread recipe takes about 3 hours to make a batch, rising time included. The best part? You hardly have to knead it. Just mix, knead to incorporate enough flour, rise (ie, drink tea with your feet up and think about how amazing you are to be making your own bread), knead for a minute or two and shape your loaves, rise (ie, drink more tea and catch up on some TV while thinking about how well that dough rose), bake. Done.
[Recipe] Homestyle White Bread
Makes 2 large loaves, or 32 rolls
Adapted from: http://www.iheartnaptime.net/homemade-bread/
2 cups warm water
1 Tbsp active dry yeast
1 Tbsp honey
1/4 cup melted butter
1 Tbsp salt
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup milk
5-7 cups of all-purpose flour (I use about 6 cups flour)
2 Tbsp butter, divided (to top bread)
Place the in a small bowl or large glass measuring cup. Add the honey and stir until the honey is disolved. Add the yeast and stir gently again. Let it sit for 10-15 minutes, or until nice and bubbly.
Combine melted butter, sugar, milk and salt into a large mixing bowl. When your yeast mixture is ready add them together and mix.
Add the flour to the liquid mixture one cup at a time, stirring to incorporate the flour. Once the dough can be picked up (after about 5 cups of flour), take it out of the bowl and turn it onto a flat surface dusted with flour. Continue to incorporate flour a half a cup at a time while kneading the bread. Once the dough is smooth and no longer sticks to your hands, knead for an additional couple of minutes.
Put the dough in a large, clean bowl whose sides have been coated with a tablespoon of butter. Cover with a towel. Let rise in a warm area for about an hour and a half. When it has risen over the bowl punch it down and place on a floured surface.
Kneed the dough again for 2-3 minutes.
Cut dough into two equal pieces and shape them into loaves. Place the loaves into 2 greased 9″x5″ bread pans.
Let the bread rise again in a warm area, covered by a towel, for about 45 minutes.
Bake the risen loaves in the oven at 375F for 25 minutes.
Once the bread has finished baking and is still warm, coat the tops of the loaves with the remaining tablespoon of butter. Remove the loaves from the pans and place them on a cooling rack until cool and ready to slice.
