Amish White Bread

Our grocery budget is only $130.00 per month to feed our family of 3. Really it is like we are feeding a family of 5 because my husband is 6"4' and eats 3X as much as me :) Anyway, because our grocery budget is so small we make our own bread. I figure it costs about 40 cents a loaf homemade vs. $3 a loaf in the store.

This Amish White Bread recipe is a gem that I just discovered from allrecipes.com. It bakes up nice and high and the crust is soft and thin so it cuts just like store bought bread does. It does have a slightly sweet taste but it works great for pb & j's, garlic bread, cheese sandwiches, dipping in soup, ect. We like it with everything basically.

I make the dough in my bread machine by adding the wet ingredients first, and then the dry, making a well for the yeast and put the machine on the dough setting. Then I place it in the pans and let it rise in a warm place covered with saran wrap coated with cooking spray for 30 minutes (I set my oven for 200 degrees and then turn the oven off.) Then it bakes for 30 minutes and you get 2 beautiful loaves of yummy bread for less than $1. This recipe is so easy, anyone can do it!

Ingredients:

2 cups warm water (110 degrees)                           2/3 cup white sugar 1 1/2 tablespoons active dry yeast

1 1/2 teaspoons salt 1/4 cup vegetable oil 6 cups bread flour

Directions:

1.	In a large bowl, dissolve the sugar in warm water, and then stir in yeast. Allow to proof until yeast resembles a creamy foam.
2.	Mix salt and oil into the yeast. Mix in flour one cup at a time. Knead dough on a lightly floured surface until smooth. Place in a well oiled bowl, and turn dough to coat. Cover with a damp cloth. Allow to rise until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.
3.	Punch dough down. Knead for a few minutes, and divide in half. Shape into loaves, and place into two well oiled 9x5 inch loaf pans. Allow to rise for 30 minutes, or until dough has risen 1 inch above pans.
4.	Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 30 minutes.