I've done it, people. I've found my perfect bread recipe. You see, I've been making bread for several years now, but my bread never turned out good enough for making sandwiches. I wasn't getting the rise that I wanted and having a universal bread recipe here on the farm is key. After many attempts and lots of flour, my eyes were opened when I found this recipe. Now, I can't take credit for this recipe so I'll give credit where credit is due (Thank you Jessica from Butter with a Side of Bread).
I call this "farm bread" because it's a simple recipe with little effort- something that is key with having a busy farm! The recipe takes under two hours from start to finish, rise time included!
Recipe:
1 cup warm water
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 TBSP active dry yeast
1/3 cup oil (Jessica's recipe calls for canola but I used extra virgin olive oil)
1 egg
1 1/2 tsp salt
3 cups flour
1 egg + 1 tsp water whisked together to brush on top
To begin:
In a large bowl, dissolve sugar in water. Add yeast, whisk and let sit for 5 minutes until bubbly.
Add oil, egg, salt and flour to form a soft dough. Knead for 5 minutes until smooth- let rise for 30 minutes or until doubled in size in the original bowl (covered).
Punch down dough and knead for one minute.
Divide the dough into two and form each loaf into a log shape. Place each loaf in a bread loaf pan and brush the top with egg wash.
Preheat your oven to 425 and let the loaves rest for 10 minutes. Bake loaves for 30-40 minutes, until crust is golden brown and internal temperature is 195-200 degrees. Let the loaves rest in their pans until they have cooled- this helps them to keep their shape.
Slice and enjoy with butter or homemade jam!
I love that this recipe is so easy to follow- even us beginner bread makers can master this recipe!