Fresh Bread

I've got a craving for a BLT. The thing is, I don't like tomatoes, especially raw ones, so I leave those outof mine. Also, I really like avocado and bacon together, so I go ahead and add in some avocado slices. It's not really very appetizing to call it a BLA though, is it? Either way, I decided not to be completely lazy about making dinner, especially since I had pizza and french fries at the ball park last night. My best option here was to go ahead and just make the bread. This way, not only is it super fresh, there isn't any crap in it like high fructose corn syrup.



One of the unexpected perks of living in this desert hell hole is that summer is the perfect time to bake some bread. Yeah, I said it. I turn on my oven when it's 112 degrees outside. It only takes about 20 minutes to bake a couple of loaves of bread, and it's so worth it! So what makes summer the best time? That 112 degree weather is PERFECT to make bread rise. I just cover my dough with a towel, set it on the patio, and ta da! Perfectly risen dough. In the winter, I can never figure out a place warm enough to get it to rise properly.

I found this recipe for Amish White bread on someone's blog, I think, and was instantly attracted to it because I didn't have to knead it. I'm lazy and anemic and hot and pregnant, so I figured this would be perfect. Instead of me providing the muscle, you just plop the ingredients in the KitchenAid mixer and let it do all the work. That's pretty darn genius if you ask me.

This bread does seem to have a bit of a longer rising time than most I've tried though. Two hours in the bowl, punch down, split into loaves, then two hours in the pans.

After that you can bake them for 20 minutes.

Isn't it pretty?

I put some bacon in the oven for 15 minutes (that way it cooks up crispy, but still flat - great for sandwiches!) and when my husband gets back from the store with the potato chips we'll have dinner.

Okay, I know potato chips are not good, but I made bread! I deserve them!

***edited to add recipe***

Amish White Bread

Ingredients:

¼ ounce dry yeast (1 pkg)
½ cup water
1/3 cup sugar
2 teaspoons salt
2 cups water
2 ½ tablespoons shortening
6-7 cups all purpose or bread flour
1/8 to ¼ cup butter

Directions:

Dissolve yeast in ½ cup warm water (about 110 degrees). Combine sugar, salt, 2 cups water, and shortening. Stir in yeast mixture. Gradually add flour to form a soft dough. Mix with KitchenAid for 15 minutes with dough hook (speed 2). Let rise for about 2 hours. Punch down and divide into 2 loaves. Let rise higher than pans (about 2 hours). Bake at 375 for 20-25 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes and brush with melted butter.