Bread Recipe

Made this recipe last week.  Hubby says this one is a keeper!!

Original recipe makes 2 - 9x5 inch loaves

• 2 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
• 2/3 cup white sugar
• 1 1/2 tablespoons active dry yeast
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 6 cups bread flour

Directions

1. In a large bowl, dissolve the sugar in warm water, and then stir in yeast. Allow to proof until yeast resembles a creamy foam.
2. Mix salt and oil into the yeast. Mix in flour one cup at a time. Knead dough on a lightly floured surface until smooth. Place in a well-oiled bowl, and turn dough to coat. Cover with a damp cloth. Allow to rise until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.
3. Punch dough down. Knead for a few minutes, and divide in half. Shape into loaves, and place into two well-oiled 9x5 inch loaf pans. Allow to rise for 30 minutes, or until dough has risen 1 inch above pans.
4. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 30 minutes.

Potato Bread Recipe Using Real Mashed Potatoes

http://www.commonsensehome.com/leftover-mashed-potatoes-make-potato-bread/

• 7 ounces cooked potato (you can use leftover mashed potatoes, or cook up a small potato and mash it)
• Water, enough to equal 1 3/4 cup when combined with the potato

(I put the potato into a 2 cup pyrex measuring cup, and add water to bring the level up to 1 3/4 cup)

• 2 tablespoons softened butter
• 2 1/2 tablespoons sugar (or honey)
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 3 1/2 cups bread flour (I usually use a mix of fresh ground wheat berry flour and pre-milled flour)
• 2 teaspoons dry yeast or 1 1/2 teaspoons saf-instant yeast

If using a bread machine, select “wheat”, “sweet”, or “white” setting, do not use a timer.

I normally mix the dough in my Bosch Universal Plus Kitchen Machine and then bake it in the oven.  (I finally bought a Bosch after killing three different bread machines.  It’s more expensive, but can handle double batches of whole wheat bread without a fuss, unlike lighter machines.)

I add everything into the machine and mix for 6-8 minutes, adding additional flour if needed.  Add the last of flour slowly – you want a soft, elastic dough.  Too much flour will give you a harder dough and a drier bread.  If kneading by hand, mix wet ingredients with yeast until thoroughly blended, then add dry ingredients, adjusting flour as needed to give a soft, elastic dough.

Let bread rest and rise for around 20 minutes, then punch down and allow to rise again.  (This develops the flavor and gluten of the bread.)  Once doubled in size, form dough into loaves and place in greased bread pans.  A single recipe makes one large loaf or two smaller loaves.  I usually divide the dough into two 9×5 pans.  This way I get two loaves and pop one in the freezer to keep it fresh.  (Although, the last time I made this bread, the first loaf was inhaled as soon as it came out of the oven, so I didn’t need the freezer.)

Preheat oven to 350F.  Bake for 25-30 minutes, until golden brown.  Remove from pans and cool on wire racks.  Try to wait for the bread to cool before cutting, if possible.  When you cut open a steaming loaf of bread, much of the moisture escapes as steam, leaving the remainder of the loaf dry.  Of course, if it all disappears within a matter of minutes, this is a non-issue. 

This recipe produces a moist, dense loaf that is great for sandwiches and toast, and holds for the better part of a week.  For longer storage, it freezes very well, in case you want to make a double or triple batch.  I had a slice of it lightly toasted with butter for breakfast this morning. (I like to observe the 1:1 bread:butter ratio.)

Homemade King Hawaiian Rolls & Loaf....all done (smells awesome)

Ingredients
•6 cups all-purpose flour, plus an additional 1/2 cup flour, divided
•3 eggs 
•2 cups pineapple juice, room temperature
•3/4 cup sugar
•1 teaspoon vanilla
•2 (1/4 ounce) envelopes yeast
•1/2 cup (8 tablespoons) butter, melted

Instructions
1.In a small bowl, beat your 3 eggs. Add the 2 cups pineapple juice, sugar, vanilla, and melted butter.
2.Measure 3 cups of the flour into a large bowl. Stir in your egg mixture until well-combined. Sprinkle in the yeast packets, one at a time, mixing well.
3.Add the remaining 3 cups of flour and mix well. If it becomes to difficult to stir with a wooden spoon, just use your hands! Make sure all of the flour is well incorporated—the dough should be tacky to the touch but not overly sticky. If it appears too wet, sprinkle in a bit of extra flour, just a tablespoon or so at a time. Cover your bowl with a clean kitchen towel and set it in a warm place to rise for 1 hour.
4.Remove your dough from the bowl and knead in an additional ½ cup of flour. I kneaded mine 10 to 15 times, making sure the flour was well incorporated. Form the dough into rolls, and/or loaf. Place in buttered pans. Cover and place in warm place to rise for an additional hour, or until the dough doubles in size.

Bake at 350 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes, or until golden brown. Brush tops with melted butter, and serve warm