And CHECK IT OUT!! It worked. (thanks to the moral support that Kim offered me). :)
- 2 (.25 ounce) packages active dry yeast I used two kinds of yeast as that's what I had and you know what? It worked!
- 3 tablespoons white sugar
- 2 1/2 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
- 3 tablespoons lard, softened I used veggie oil
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 6 1/2 cups bread flour
Directions:
- In a large bowl, dissolve yeast and sugar in warm water. Stir in lard, salt and two cups of the flour. Stir in the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, beating well after each addition. When the dough has pulled together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes.
- Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.
- Deflate the dough and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide the dough into two equal pieces and form into loaves. Place the loaves into two lightly greased 9x5 inch loaf pans. Cover the loaves with a damp cloth and let rise until doubled in volume, about 40 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 375
- Bake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for about 30 minutes or until the top is golden brown and the bottom of the loaf sounds hollow when tapped.
I also used the sun's energy to help the bread rise (said put in warm place and the house felt coolish to me).
I used more flour than the recipe called for but Kim assured me that's perfectly normal.
Also instead of oiling my bowl I used my "Pam" to spray the bowl and just rolled the bread dough around in that.
Took precisely 30 minutes to cook. Eating commenced shortly thereafter.
Things learned... don't freak out if you use too much flour. Don't stress over the type of yeast used, it will still work out.
It's FUN to punch air out of dough. Watching all those air bubbles squish out was cathartic. :)
Use a knife to loosen a stuck loaf from the pan, you won't hurt it and helps it come out of the pan nicely.