There’s nothing better than a slice of home made bread, fresh out of the oven and slathered with butter.
What I love about this recipe is that there is a flexible resting period of from 10 minutes to 5 hours. This means that you can get it started and, then, carry on with life and not have to stay in the kitchen for half a day. I also think that it helps to break down components of the flour, but I have no science to back that up.
The Basics
1 tbsp yeast (or one packet)
2 cups all-purpose flour
3 tbsp sugar
2 tsp salt
1/4 cup nonfat dry milk (I used my freeze-dried milk)
In a separate bowl (or pint jar) mix
2 cups hot water
3 tbsp lard (the hot water will help melt the lard)
Now mix the two together. Cover and let sit in a warm place for 10 minutes or 5 hours or any time in between
The 2nd Flour Addition
About 3 hours before you want to eat the bread, add 3-4 more cups of flour and knead.
Note: I had freeze-dried some sourdough starter discard as an experiment and I used 1 cup of this powder as part of the flour addition. I think it added a unique flavour to the bread. I think.
After kneading, cover and let rise for an hour.
Then, divide in two; shape two loaves and put in loaf pans. Cover and let sit for another hour.
Preheat oven to 400 F and cook at the high temperature for 10 minutes Then lower the temperature to 350 F and cook for about 30 minutes, turning the loaves half way through.
Let rest before cutting.
Ok, let’s be honest - the first loaf? Slice it up. Eat that hot bread fresh out of the oven and slather on some butter. You can let that second loaf rest! - Debbie
Shopping
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