Recently we had quite a bit of snow and ice in our state, which is unusual for the south.  When power was restored and a road opened up, we headed to the store.  Many items were gone, completely barren from the shelves  The bread was wiped out.  That’s when I said to myself, “surely I can make my own bread”; and so, I did.  This recipe was easy even for someone like me who has never made bread with yeast before.  It’s time consuming but well worth it.  The aroma of fresh bread permeates the house.  As soon as the bread came out of the oven, the family devoured an entire loaf in a few minutes.

Prep: 20 mins;  Cook:  40 mins; Additional Prep:  1 hr. 30 mins;

Total:  2 hrs. 30 mins

Yield:  Makes two 9 x 5 inch loaves

Ingredients

• 2 cups warm water (110 degrees)
• ⅔ cup white sugar
• 1 ½ tablespoons active dry yeast (1 packet)
• 1 ½ teaspoons salt
• ¼ cup vegetable oil
• 6 cups bread flour (white all-purpose flour can work too)

Directions

Step 1

In a large bowl, dissolve the sugar in warm water, and then stir in yeast.  Let it sit until yeast resembles a creamy foam.

Step 2

Mix the salt and oil into the yeast.  Mix in flour one cup at a time.  Knead dough on a lightly floured surface until smooth.  Place in a well-oiled bowl and turn dough to coat.  Cover with a damp cloth and allow the dough to rise until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.

Step 3

Punch dough down and knead for a few minutes.  Divide the dough in half and shape into loaves.  Place the dough loaves into two well-oiled 9 x 5 inch loaf pans.  Allow to rise for 30 minutes, or until dough has risen 1 inch above pans.

Note: If your dough is not rising, the room needs to be warmer.  Use your oven to help the dough rise.  Turn the oven to the lowest setting for just a few minutes, then turn the oven off.  Place the dough in the center of the oven and allow it to rise until almost doubled.  Remove the dough from the oven.  Do not leave in the oven while preheating the oven to bake.

Step 4

Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 30 minutes.

Shiny Glaze on Top

If you want the top of your bread to shine with a deep color do the following before baking:

• Place the egg yolk into a separate bowl. Discard the egg whites.
• Add 1 tsp. of water to egg yolk and whisk together.
• Brush the egg yolk and water mixture onto the top of bread that is fully risen, then bake.

“Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.”  John 6:35