Baking in An Amish Home
- 1 package active dry yeast
- 2½ cups lukewarm water
- Lard (the size of an egg); you can substitute shortening here if needed
- 2 tablespoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon salt
- Enough bread flour to make a soft dough (usually about 5 cups)
- Grease pans and set aside.
- In a small bowl, dissolve the yeast in a ½ cup warm water.
- In a large bowl, combine the lard, sugar, salt and the remaining 2 cups of water.
- Add the yeast mixture to the bowl and stir until combined.
- Add the flour, ½ cup at a time, mixing until the dough is elastic and doesn’t stick to the sides of the bowl.
- Cover the bowl loosely with a damp cloth and let rise until double in size, about 1½ hours in a warm, draft-free place.
- Punch the dough down and place on lightly floured surface.
- Cut the the dough into 2 equal portions.
- Punch down a little more and form each into a loaf.
- Place the dough into greased loaf pans.
- Cover with a damp cloth and let rise again until the dough is level with the loaf pan, about 40-50 minutes.
- Pierce each loaf several times with a fork.
- While the dough is rising, preheat oven to 325 degrees.
- Bake the bread for 40-45 minutes.
- The bread is done when it sounds hollow when tapped on top.
- After removing the bread from the over, brush with butter for a softer crust.
- Remove the bread from the pans and place on cooling rack.
- The bread freezes well and will keep for up to 6 months.
Recipe by Amish 365 at https://www.amish365.com/baking-amish-home-recipe-basic-bread/
3.2.2646