Growing up, my mom made all of our bread. Each Saturday she'd make six loaves of the deliciousness. If she bought something from the store, it grew green-stuff-that-shall-not-be-named before anyone ate it. To this day, she still makes all her bread and I get warm memories just thinking about the wonderful smell it created in our home.
I think of myself as a decent baker, but for some reason, I've never been able to perfect Mom's bread recipe. (I'll blame it on differences in elevation. Cough...cough...) Since Lauren's mom in Losing Independence makes a ton of bread, too, I decided to share a recipe I adapted that DOES work for me. I don't make bread every time we run out, but when I do, I double the recipe and make 4 loaves. They freeze well and my kids love the bread for sandwiches and toast. Enjoy!
Tifani's Easy White Bread
Makes 2 loaves
1 ½ cups warm water
1 heaping tablespoon instant yeast
4 tablespoons vegetable oil
4 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons salt
4 1/2 cups flour
In a large bowl (or mixer with dough hook), add all ingredients in the order listed. Mix well. Dump dough out onto a lightly floured board and knead until elastic. Put dough back in bowl and cover. Let rise in a warm place for 40-45 minutes. Divide the dough into two halves and shape into two loaves. Place dough in bread pans and let rise until double in size. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.
