Baking in An Amish Home
 
 
Ingredients
  • 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)
Instructions
  1. Grease pans and set aside.
  2. In a small bowl, dissolve the yeast in a ½ cup warm water.
  3. In a large bowl, combine the lard, sugar, salt and the remaining 2 cups of water.
  4. Add the yeast mixture to the bowl and stir until combined.
  5. Add the flour, ½ cup at a time, mixing until the dough is elastic and doesn’t stick to the sides of the bowl.
  6. Cover the bowl loosely with a damp cloth and let rise until double in size, about 1½ hours in a warm, draft-free place.
  7. Punch the dough down and place on lightly floured surface.
  8. Cut the the dough into 2 equal portions.
  9. Punch down a little more and form each into a loaf.
  10. Place the dough into greased loaf pans.
  11. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise again until the dough is level with the loaf pan, about 40-50 minutes.
  12. Pierce each loaf several times with a fork.
  13. While the dough is rising, preheat oven to 325 degrees.
  14. Bake the bread for 40-45 minutes.
  15. The bread is done when it sounds hollow when tapped on top.
  16. After removing the bread from the over, brush with butter for a softer crust.
  17. Remove the bread from the pans and place on cooling rack.
  18. 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/