Basic Bread and Variations

• Plain White Bread
• Potato Bread
• Whole Wheat Bread
• Cinnamon Bread

Here is an approximation of my bread recipe, with some variations.

Plain White Bread

When I make bread, I just *make it*. No particular recipe or anything. This is an approximation of what I do, based on what my husband wrote down while watching me. All measurements are approximate.

Ingredients

• 6 cups of white flour
• 2 cups boiling water
• 2 cups cool water
• 3 tablespoons of butter
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• 2 tablespoons of sugar
• 1 teaspoon of yeast
• 3 tablespoons of potato starch (If you don't live somewhere where there a lot of Swedish groceries, use a small cold boiled potato, mashed)

Directions

Pour the boiling water over the butter, salt sugar and potato starch. Stir till the butter is melted. Add the cool water. When the water is the right temperature, sprinkle the yeast over the top. If the water is the right temperature to feed to a baby, it is the right temperature for the yeast. Give the yeast some time to "get happy" as my grandma used to say, when it is good and frothy, it is happy enough.

Beat about 2 cups of flour into the yeast, when there aren't very many lumps left, stir in another 2 cups and beat til smooth. Set aside to rise.

When it has about doubled in bulk, 45 minutes to 1 1/2 hours, depending on how warm it is, stir it down and add more flour. When there has been enough flour added to make it hard to stir, gather it together and turn it out onto a well floured board. Knead, adding more flour as needed, until the dough is elastic, and blisters when stretched. Place in a greased bowl, turning until all sides are greased cover and let rise again. When it has doubled in bulk, punch it down, knead lightly and shape. Place in well greased pans turning till all sides are greased and let rise till doubled (or tripled) in bulk. Bake at 400 f til done. About 45 minutes. yields 3 to 5 loaves, depending on the size of your pans

Potato Bread

Follow the recipe for Plain White Bread, with the following changes:

• Omit potato starch. Use 3 cups of cold mashed potatoes instead.
• Reduce the amount of flour added to the yeast to 1 cup.

Whole Wheat Bread

Follow the recipe for Plain White Bread with the following change:

• Omit half the white flour. Use whole wheat instead. Do not add the whole wheat until after you have stirred down the first rising.

Cinnamon Bread

Follow the recipe for Plain White Bread with the following changes.

• Increase the amount of butter to 1/2 cup.
• Add 1 cup of sugar and 3 beaten eggs when you add the first flour.
• Omit the second rising.
• When you are ready to shape the bread, divide the dough into 3 parts. roll each part into a rough rectangle and sprinkle liberally with cinnamon.
• Roll up like a jelly roll, and pinch the edges shut.
• Place on a liberally greased cookie sheet, roll to grease all sides, and settle the bread with the pinched side down.

Allow to rise and bake as previously directed.

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This page last updated 9/4/1999

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