TT: Do you like... bread?

Ok. I'll freely admit that I have stolen this recipe from my sister, who posted it on her blog within the last couple weeks. So, I apologize to those of you who read both our blogs, you're gonna get a little bit of a repeat recipe - but I am low on money and ingredients, so my Tasty Tuesday this week is not that exciting. I have a plan for next week though, and it will be amazing and delicious! (not to mention this saturday marks day #10 of Limoncello, so I will be sure to post some results and taste tests from that!)

Let me preface this by saying that this is the greatest loaf of bread that I have ever made in my life... I have tried a handful of white bread recipes over the last few months, and what I've realized is that I lack patience and warmth (just with bread, right?). I'm pretty sure my past bread failures are due to not letting the dough rise long enough, or not being in a warm enough place (who would guess, being cold in Minnesota? what?) (P.S. Today Red Wing is only 4 degrees warmer than the North Pole!). Anyway, here you go. It turned out beautifully.

White Bread
Ingredients:
1 pkg (2 1/4 tsp) active dry yeast
1.5-2 cups warm water (100-115F)
2 tsp granulated sugar
4 cups all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp salt
a bit of softened butter, or vegetable oil

In a small bowl, mix half a cup warm water with the sugar, and add the yeast. Stir well and then let it proof for a few minutes! While it is sitting, you can get everything else ready.
Mix the salt and the flour, and put some of the water in there. Like a cup. Then mix the yeasty water in there, and then add enough warm water to make kneadable dough.

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Knead until elastic, form into a ball. Rub another bowl with butter or oil and put the dough in there, turning the ball until its covered. (Keeps it from drying out)

Cover and let rise in a warm place for an hour or so, until it has doubled in size!

Once it has risen, punch the dough down, dump it on the counter, and knead for a couple minutes. Put it in a bread pan or a cookie sheet (depending on how shaped you want it to be) and let rise again, another 45 minutes or so. While this is happening, you can preheat the oven to 350. Bake for 30 minutes or so - my oven is a little finicky and I usually end up sticking it in for more like 40 minutes. If the loaf is brown, though, and sounds hollow when tapped, its done. 

Enjoy a few slices with butter and honey, fresh out of the oven, and then the next day make a sandwich out of it, take it to school, and brag to all your friends that you made it yourself! At least, that's what I did.