Alarie Gifford's Bread Recipe

Aunt Barbara's Bread

Yield: 2 loaves    Good 3-4 days out of fridge, 7 in fridge, freezer longer. Hard to ruin! Is fast and easy.

Ingredients:

5 ¼ C Flour (bread flour, ap flour, wheat, rye, mixture, unground grains, etc.)

½ Tbs Salt (or as little as 1 tsp if making a sweet bread)

¼ C Sugar/honey/molasses/agave nectar/applesauce (use less)/etc.

1 ½ Tbs Instant yeast (or 1 ¾ Tbs Dry active yeast)

1 ½ Tbs Soy lecithin (helps bread be more chewy and last a little longer, can leave it out, or substitute oil)- found on Amazon, not in stores.

2-2 ½ C Very hot water (lukewarm if dry active yeast)

All ingredients can easily be switched and substituted. If using instant yeast the whole process takes just under an hour.

Method:

If using dry active yeast instead of instant, proof in lukewarm water for about ten minutes before adding other ingredients.

Mix all ingredients into Kitchen Aid/Bosch until incorporated. Let it knead with the dough hook for 5 minutes (+1 minute for wheat flour). Dough will be sticky and not look like normal bread dough.

If using dry active yeast, spray Pam around the dough on the edges of the bowl you mixed the dough in and cover it with a damp towel and let it rise for 20 minutes before putting it into the bread pans (I put it in the empty dishwasher to speed things up). No need for this step if using instant yeast.

Spray Pam on the counter and on a spatula. Use the spatula to work the dough into a ball with the oil; you may need to spray it again. Divide the dough in two, shape, and let rise covered in greased pans for 20 minutes.

Bake at 350F for 20-25 minutes on the center to lower rack. Bake at 325F if using a darker colored pan so that crust doesn't get too hard.

Variations:

-Rye bread, whole wheat, white, cinnamon raisin, etc. Just switch out oils, sweeteners, salt, flours, grain additions. The recipe is very forgiving.

-Pizza: Use 1/2 as much yeast and no need to let it rise.

-Bread sticks: Roll out and sprinkle with Parmesan, garlic, etc. Cut into strips with pizza cutter. No need to let rise.

-Cinnamon raisin bread: Add cinnamon and raisins.

-Dinner rolls: 1/2 batch of dough yields 18-20 rolls.

-Cinnamon rolls: 1/2 batch dough makes 18-20 rolls (I use 1/3 batch and it's still tight in pan)

-Filled braid: Roll out 1/2 batch dough in 9x13 pan. Fill center with pizza toppings; cream cheese, apples, and cinnamon; ham and cheese; veggies and cream cheese; etc. Cut strips on both sides and weave over each other like a French braid. Optional egg wash on top.