Quick & Easy Homemade Bread

Total Time: 1 hr 20 mins Preparation Time: 1 hr Cook Time: 20 mins

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups warm water
• 1 1/2 tablespoons instant yeast
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup powdered milk
• 1 egg
• 1/3 cup butter (or oil) or 1/3 cup margarine (or oil)
• 6 cups flour (i dont measure the flour, this is just an estimate- it could be more, it could be less!)
• 1 cup whole wheat flour

Recipe

• 1 combine water, yeast, salt, sugar, milk powder, egg, and butter in a large mixing bowl- stir with wooden spoon until well mixed.
• 2 slowly add the flour while still mixing- you don’t have to add whole wheat flour, but i usually add about a cup just to give it some whole wheat flavor; then the rest can be flour- you can do half and half also, or just all - you are the cook, mix it up.
• 3 continue to add the flour to the dough (you will have to use your hands to mix it now)
• 4 once the dough becomes more of a ball and not so runny, pour the dough out of the bowl onto a floured countertop; knead dough with your hands for 10-15 minutes, adding more flour if needed. keep adding flour until the dough is just sticky when you hold it- but not too sticky- you don’t want it stuck to your fingers. also, if you add too much flour, your bread will become heavy- so watch how much flour you add to your mixture!
• 5 shape dough into ball, place in a large bowl lightly rubbed with oil; cover with a light towel- let rise until doubled in size.
• 6 separate dough in half; shape into dough roll and place in lightly oiled bread pans. brush with a beaten egg to give it that nice golden look when it comes out of the oven or brush lightly with water and sprinkle lightly with quick oats or poppy seeds- the possibilities are endless!
• 7 let loaves rise for 15-20 minutes- this is a personal choice, some people do not like big loaves of bread, while others do- so keep an eye on how big your loaves get, it is a personal choice of course.
• 8 place in a 350 degree oven for 20-30 minutes, or until done.(cooking time varies, depending on oven).
• 9 let sit in pans for 5 minutes then take the loaves out and set on wire rack to cool.
• 10 its great for toast, sandwiches, or still hot out of the oven as a snack!