mom & me bread

One of my mom and I’s favorite thing to do on a lazy and event free day is to make homemade bread. My mom would make bread with her mom and now I make it with her. It has been a tradition in my family and we enjoy making it and eating it. It is by far way better than any bread you could buy from the store and here are some tips I have learned from my mother while I also explain how to make homemade bread.

This recipe is called mom & me bread by Diane Endahl (my grandma)                    

You start with softening 2 packages of yeast in 1/3 cup of warm water

Tip: yes is need to be warm, temperature matters.

Next you heat 2 cups of milk to a scalding (just bubble slightly around edges).

Then you add 1/3 cup of shortening, 1/3 cup of sugar, and 1 tablespoon of salt to the milk. Stir until all is dissolved into milk.

Once that is cooled add yeast

Tip: when adding in yeast it is crucial that the milk is fully cooled, if not it will kill the yeast. This is where temperature being important comes into play again.

Stir in flour a cup at a time tell it’s a soft ball of dough and not sticky. This can take a variety amounts of flour probably around 10-12 cups.

When dough is thick enough turn out onto a lightly covered with flour counter. Kneed to make sure there are no air bubbles and continue to add in flour as you kneed.

Tip: when adding in flour as you need go very light because you don’t want to overdo it and make clumps of flour. Just flour it until it is no longer sticky and just a soft ball.  

Put dough into large greased bowl and let rise until it doubles in size

Tip: to test if the dough has risen enough you can push one finger into the dough and is the finger dent that you make stays it means it is ready.

Next punch down and shape the dough into and shape or pan that you wish.

Tip: You can also use the bread dough for buns and cinnamon rolls.

Let the shape double again and then bake for about 25 minutes at 375 degrees or until golden brown.

Tip: to test if bread is done tap the bread and if you hear a hallow sound it is done.        

Tip: when you take out the bread cover the top of the bread with butter.

So I hope you enjoy this recipe and find these tips useful. I know I enjoy making bread and eating it afterwards, I promise you that homemade bread will be better than any store bought bread you could ever find.