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.

Makin' Biscuits

 I made ham yesterday so it was time to get my Southern on and make biscuits.  This was a skill that I did not master until I was older.  Biscuits are tricky!  The biggest thing is to NOT over mix or knead the biscuits!  Here is a picture of the finished product.  The large biscuit is made from the scraps.  It tends to be tougher because you have to knead the scraps together.  Here is the recipe...


4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons baking powder
2 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons white sugar
2/3 cup butter (can use shortening)
2 cups buttermilk or soured milk (add 2 Tbsp white vinegar to 2 cups of milk)

1.Preheat oven to 425 degrees F
2.In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar. Cut in the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Gradually stir in milk until dough pulls away from the side of the bowl.
3.Turn out onto a floured surface (dough will be a bit wet and sticky). Add some flour to the surface until it is not sticky to the touch. Then fold and and knead the dough as little as possible so it just comes together (about 10 to 15 times). Add flour as needed to keep the dough from sticking to your hands. Pat or roll dough out to 1 inch thick for super thick biscuits or as thin as 1/2-inch. Cut biscuits with a large cutter or glass cup dipped in flour. Repeat until all dough is used. Brush off the excess flour, and place biscuits onto a greased baking sheet or non-stick aluminum foil. You can brush the tops with left over milk for a darker crust (biscuits on right).
4.Bake for 13 to 15 minutes in the preheated oven, or until edges begin to brown.

Forgot to add.... if butter starts to get too warm pop the bowl into the freezer after you cut the butter into the flour. You want the butter cold before going into the oven. The butter will steam as the biscuits cook to help give additional rise to the biscuits.

Yield: At least a dozen. 12 to 24 depending on biscuit cutter size.

This recipe is similar to J.P.'s Big Daddy Biscuits.  You can find the original recipe here.  I made some modifications based on my taste and experience.