It's A Making Bread Kind of Day

Today I made some more of the Amish White bread from Allrecipies.com.  This is the second time I have made this and I have to say I really like this recipe!  It seems to be very forgiving and have made both batches with a few variations on the original recipe.  I am writing down my steps from my first batch.  I liked it a bit better than this batch.




Here is the basic recipe.  See the link above to go to Allrecipes.com site to see all the information including comments.  There are always a lot of good ideas and advice submitted in the comments.

INGREDIENTS:

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 olive oil
6 cups bread flour (reserve the last cup of 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.