Egg Bread

 I’m still exploring various bread recipes. I started looking for egg bread.  This is what I made.

Egg Bread

2 cups milk

1/4 cup butter

6 cups bread flour

2 packages yeast

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

3 eggs

Butter for brushing on the loaves, optional

Heat the butter and milk over medium heat just until the butter melts. 

Don’t get it too hot. We’re going for warm.  I tested in with my finger!

In the mixing bowl place 3 cups of bread flour, the yeast and the salt and mix. 

I don’t usually make bread without proofing the yeast, but decided to trust the new yeast and follow this recipe.

Pour in the milk and butter mixture and stir with the dough hook.

Whisk 3 eggs in a small bowl and add to the mix. 

Add the remaining 3 cups of flour, one cup at a time. 

Let the dough hook knead for a few minutes until the dough pulls away from the bowl and starts to climb the dough hook.

Sprinkle a small amount of flour on a clean counter.  Place the dough on the counter   

It will still be a little sticky.  Knead for about 5 minutes. Shape into a ball.  

Pour about 1 tablespoon into a large bowl and smear it up the sides. Put the dough in the bowl and flip it over to coat all sides with the oil. 

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set it in a warm spot for 1 hour. It should double in size.  

Spray Pam in two bread pans.  

Punch down the dough and divide it in two pieces.  Save the plastic wrap.

Roll out the bread into a rectangle, popping any air bubbles. Roll up the bread, pinching the seams as you go.  

Fold over the ends to fit in the bread pan and seal all seams with pinching. 

Place the bread dough logs in the pans.  Cover with the saved plastic and set in a warm spot for about 30 minutes or until they have doubled in size.

Preheat the oven to 350°. Bake for 30 minutes.  Or until a golden brown and when it sounds hollow when thumped.

The bread REALLY expanded in the oven  I think there was enough dough for 3 smaller loaves.  I may try that next time.

I opted to brush a small amount of butter over the tops of the bread and then turned them out on cooling racks.

This was a good, yet giant bread. I loved it plain and warm with butter. 

Lee likes it toasted and with peanut butter .

 

Amish White Bread

 I grew up in Altadena, CA. I also used to make a lot of bread.  So when a site I follow on Facebook, What's Up In Altadena, posted a bread recipe, I decided to try it.

It was easy and used my Kitchen Aid mixer. I have always enjoyed the process of kneading bread, but this recipe used my dough hook. I have never used it!  Plus, I am now dealing with carpal tunnel problems, so saving my hands seemed like a good idea.

Amish White Bread

2 cups warm water, about 110-120 °

2/3 cup sugar

1 1/2 Tablespoons yeast (2 packets of the 3)

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1/4 cup vegetable oil

6 cups flour 

Place the sugar and water in the bowl of your mixer.  Stir to mix and then sprinkle the yeast on top. 

Let it dissolve 5-15 minutes.

This is called the bloom.

Add the salt, oil and half the flour.  Mix slowly to incorporate.

 Then add the remaining flour, but don't mix. Replace the mixing paddle with the dough hook and mix slowly until the dough ball is pulling away from the sides of the bowl.

Sprinkle a bit of flour on the very clean counter and knead a few times.

Drizzle about 2 Tablespoons oil in a large mixing bowl and smear it all around and up the sides. Place the dough ball in the prepared bowl and flip it a few times to get it coated in oil. Cover with cling wrapp and place in a warm, draft free area until it doubles in size.  Check in about 1 hour.  I set a timer on my phone as I tend to get involved in projects and forget to look.

Remove the cover and place it upside down to use later  Spray two bread pans with Pam.

Punch the dough down and lay it out on a surface sprinkled with flour.  Cut it in half.  

Knead the ball to get rid of air bubbles.  Roll it out into a rectangle.  

Pinch any remaining air bubbles.  Roll it up tightly from the long side. 

Pinch the seam closed.  

Pinch the ends closed and fold over to make it a bit smaller than the size of the bread pan.  

Pinch the seams. Place in the prepared pan and repeat with the second half.

Place in a warm spot and cover the pans with the saved cling wrap. Let rise until doubled, about 30-50 minutes. Mine took about 40 minutes.  Set a timer so it doesn't rise too much.  Pre-heat the oven to 350°.

Place in the  center of the oven and bake for 25-35 minutes.

Pull out and brush the tops with melted butter.  Let cool 10 minutes before removing to a cooling rack.  

Let cool before you cut into it. This could be the hardest part.  If you cut too soon it will smush together.  

This makes a very nice sandwich bread.  But it is especially nice with a smear of softened butter.