Sandwich Bread

Day 5

So I woke up this morning and realized that I didn't have any bread in the house and Brielle and I live on sandwiches. And so I went on a hunt for a bread recipe that only had ingredients that I already have in the house.

It just came out of the oven and I must say, mission accomplished. So yummy!

Here's what I came up with...

Basic Bread - 3 loaves

flour, unsifted about 7 c. (I used all purpose, wheat and oat)

2 1/2 T yeast

1/2 c sugar or honey

3 t salt

3 c water, warm

5 level T shortening (I now use lard in place of the shortening. But you could also use butter or oil.)

These are the directions that I mushed up for using a stand mixer with a dough hook-

Mix dry ingredients (I started with 6 c of flour), add shortening, add water slowly.

Add flour (1-2 c) until the right consistency is reached.

Let rise to double.

Punch down and then cut into loaves. (Place in oiled loaf pans)

Let rise again (about 1 hour)

Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes

Brush with butter (I skipped this part)

It seems like this is a totally do-able option for replacing sandwich bread. I like that it's for 3 loaves and I can freeze 2 and should be able to skip the 2 loaves a week I was buying at the store. That's $5 a week savings ($7 at some grocery stores). I'm thinking I will need to use an electric knife to cut it efficiently.

Update: 3-10-12 This has definitely become the house bread recipe. I now use mostly white bread flour with as much whole wheat as I can fit in there without hubs noticing. Several ladies I know make their own version of this bread with great success. That's the beauty of it, it's super versatile. Change the ingredients to suit you. Switch out the types of flour, use butter, oil or lard instead of shortening, add seeds, herbs or cheese, and try different sweeteners. Have fun with it. It's a great basic bread recipe that you can adapt to your needs. I have found also, that there is always someone who will happily take that third loaf off your hands if you are looking to do a bit of goodness.