[nadja]

The Best Amish White Bread Recipe [HR][/HR]Hello I gleaned this from another site and thought you might enjoy it:,

I have been making this bread for years and it has never failed me. It is the best bread for all occasions and is a little on the sweet side. The oil in the recipe allows the bread to remain good for weeks without going bad. A hint to make any bread last for weeks longer is also to add a bit of potato flour to any bread recipe. It preserves the batch very well and will extend the life of your bread for at least an extra week.

Amish White Bread
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

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.

Enjoy

 

[WoadWarrior]

Aww.... another reason to add Yeast to a BOB. You could probably scavenge the other ingredients... but almost nobody makes homemade bread anymore and yeast may be the one rare ingredient. And.... it seems like a great barter item considering it's size and weight.

 

[WoadWarrior]

BTW... thanks for the recipe Nadja... I may just try that one out.

 

[Watercanlady]

I bake all of our bread. Yeast is cheap at SAMs Club so stock up....

 

[BLG]

In case there's no yeast available, sourdough is a good alternative. I have some sourdough starter in the process as we speak.

 

[PaulS]

Sourdough RULES!!!!

I always have my working starter and I have some dried starter ready to go if something bad happens to the working starter.

 

[MrsInor]

PaulS - did you make your own dried starter?

 

[PaulS]

Yes, It is easiest during the summer months here. You could use a food dehydrator too but you want to keep the temps below 120F. The yeast will survive freezing but the other bacteria that gives that nice sour bite won't. Heat above 120F will injure the yeast and at 140F you will kill the yeast.

To dry the starter do this:

Feed your starter as you normally do and then spread it out (not all of it you need to keep enough to feed and make your bread with) on a piece of waxed paper as thin as you can.
Let it dry - here it takes a couple of hours to a day depending on temps and humidity. KEEP IT OUT OF DIRECT SUNLIGHT!
Once it is dry enough that it breaks when you fold the wax paper you can break it into pieces and place it in a PAPER envelope.
Store the envelope in a cool, dry place out of direct sunlight. Once you are sure it is completely dry you can freeze it but I don't bother it remains dormant as long as it stays dry.

To reactivate it just add it to the same VOLUME of warm (BELOW 120f) water and mix well. You will need to feed it the following day in the normal manner.


To those who don't use sourdough - in the instructions I repeatedly use terms like in the "normal way" because some people use milk and flour while I prefer water and flour. If I was to add milk to my starter it would go into shock and most probably spoil or die. Some use rye flour, others hard red wheat flour others use white bleached flour or whole wheat or whole grain. You can make a sourdough starter from almost any flour and use either milk or water - or even a mix of different flours and some combination of water and milk. You always feed your starter with the same stuff it is made of or the yeast and other bacteria (lots of good things in there) will suffer from the shock and it will take time to adjust to any new mixtures - up to a few months in some cases. Just start it with what you keep on hand and if that changes then ad a small amount of the new ingredient with the original changing the diet slowly so it doesn't shock your starter.

Under normal household temps and humidity you will need to feed your starter from every other day to once a week. It can last a long time in the fridge as long as it doesn't freeze. If it has a dark fluid on top then feed it and split it into two groups. That dark fluid is what makes sourdough sour. It comes out of the suspension when the yeast is going dormant so feed it to get the yeast active again!
I have had starter that suffered no ill effects from being in the fridge for a month. (I feed it just before putting it into the fridge and stir it all very well).

 

[Just Sayin']

Great thread y'all

 

[PaulS]

I absolutely LOVE sourdough - but we have recently started to curb the carbs in our diet so I don't use it as often as I did. I still feed it and use it for what carbs we allow but I could live off sourdough!

CAUTION: If you eat too much it will stimulate the digestive tract and you will get a loose bowel. (diarrhea) It is all that good bacteria and it is not bad for you - just so you know it's not an allergic reaction.

 

[MrsInor]

Thank You! I will try the drying bit soon.

 

[Slippy]

I absolutely LOVE sourdough - but we have recently started to curb the carbs in our diet so I don't use it as often as I did. I still feed it and use it for what carbs we allow but I could live off sourdough!

CAUTION: If you eat too much it will stimulate the digestive tract and you will get a loose bowel. (diarrhea) It is all that good bacteria and it is not bad for you - just so you know it's not an allergic reaction.

Oh crap, now you tell me!

 

[PaulS]

It's good for you!
At 63 I just had my first colonoscopy and there were two microscopic polyps that were too small to even do a biopsy on. Trust me - sourdough is good for you!

 

[spokes]

I tried this recipe on Saturday and LOVE IT!

It's easy, good texture, and most of all, tasty!

I did substitute two cups of whole wheat flour making it 4 cups of cake flower (I like a finer flour) and two cups of whole wheat flour to make it a touch healthier. It didn't rise quite as high as regular white bread but it was enough to suit me.

I also used 2tbs of instant yeast instead of 1.5 just because that is what I'm used to using.

Great recipe. Can't beat Amish breads. Thanks for posting.

 

[Notsoyoung]

Instead of white sugar I always use a local honey. It also helps preserve the bread, and by using local it helps build your immunity if you have allergies.

 

[SDF880]

Thanks! We love to bake bread here and will try this!

 

[paraquack]

Instead of white sugar I always use a local honey. It also helps preserve the bread, and by using local it helps build your immunity if you have allergies.

Never thought of the honey as a preservative, thanks!!!

 

[Smitty901]

I will try that one